The owners of a missing baby alpaca suspect a theft on their property, almost two weeks after losing sight of the animal, and are taking to social media to try to find little Fergie.
“Unfortunately, we suspect someone came to collect it on Monday evening or Tuesday during the day. If you have any information or happened to pick it up, please return it, no questions asked,” Willow Pond Farm in Kingston, Ont., posted on social media the day after she disappeared in mid-August.
The baby alpaca, just one month old, has been missing since the evening of August 14 or the morning of August 15, according to its owners, who now fear they will “never get an answer” about the animal’s disappearance, the Ottawa Citizen reported on Thursday.
According to them, the theft theory is now one of the most likely because they could not have found any trace of the animal that would suggest that it crossed the path of a coyote or other predator.
Unfortunately, Kingston Police were also unable to confirm that it was indeed a theft as no surveillance camera in the area could have captured the events, local media reported. .
However, an alpaca of this species can sell for between $3,500 and $5,000, estimated farm owner Darren Van Winckle in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen.
“There is definitely a financial incentive if you can sell it. They are incredibly lovable animals. It could be a scenario like this,” he lamented, stating that given the size of the animal, it would have been fairly easy to load it directly into a car without the need for a trailer.
Anyone with information can contact the Kingston Police Department or the farm directly.