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Man charged over kidnapping of Piggie the echidna from Gold Coast sanctuary Man charged over kidnapping of Piggie the echidna from Gold Coast sanctuary
(about 3 hours later)
A man has been charged over the kidnapping of Piggie the echidna, who has been returned to her Gold Coast home.A man has been charged over the kidnapping of Piggie the echidna, who has been returned to her Gold Coast home.
Related: Piggie the echidna is returned safe to Currumbin wildlife sanctuary Piggie, who was stolen from her enclosure on Saturday night, was found on Monday evening after being returned to bushland near the Currumbin wildlife sanctuary.
Piggie, who was stolen from her enclosure on Saturday night, was found on Monday evening after being tucked back under a fence at the Currumbin wildlife sanctuary. A 24-year-old man has been charged with animal cruelty and receiving tainted property and was due to appear at Southport magistrates court on Tuesday.
A 24-year-old man has been charged with animal cruelty and receiving tainted property and will appear at Southport magistrates court on Tuesday.
Related: Fears for Piggie the echidna, stolen from Gold Coast's Currumbin sanctuary
Two men were caught on camera taking the four-year-old monotreme from her enclosure, and police say more charges could be laid.Two men were caught on camera taking the four-year-old monotreme from her enclosure, and police say more charges could be laid.
The sanctuary’s senior vet Michael Pyne said Piggie was feeling sore. But a battery of tests including X-rays and ultrasounds had revealed she was otherwise OK. Related: Piggie the echidna is returned safe to Currumbin wildlife sanctuary
“There’s no serious injuries, she’s just been knocked around a lot and she’s just very sore and sorry for herself,” he told the ABC. When the echidna was released by her kidnappers into Gold Coast bushland, she tucked herself under a log, curled up into a ball and waited to be rescued, the sanctuary said.
Piggie’s two abductors were caught on camera breaking into an enclosure about 10pm on Saturday. They tried to steal two echidnas before fleeing with the more friendly Piggie. The four-year-old monotreme was returned on Monday evening after 44 hours of misadventure.
Grave fears had been held for Piggie, the first echidna successfully bred at the sanctuary, as she was unlikely to have survived long without specialised care. Currumbin’s head vet Michael Pyne told AAP he was “thrilled” to have her back.
“She was found on the far side of the sanctuary in bushland near the Gold Coast highway,” he said.
“They weren’t brave enough to bring her back to us so they just dumped her in an area where they couldn’t be seen. She found the best hiding place and tucked herself under a log and bunked down there.”
Pyne said Piggie had undergone blood tests, ultrasounds and x-rays, and was in relatively good health despite being a bit sore from being improperly handled.
“You can tell she’s uncomfortable in the way she’s moving but nothing too serious,” he said. “She had a bit of a snack last night so we’re really happy with how she’s going.”
Pyne said he believed Piggie’s abductors, who were caught on security cameras removing her from her nesting box, had committed a prank that had got out of control.
“I think it was just some crazy people thinking this was something fun to do, and then suddenly they realised that the whole of the Gold Coast hated them and were out to get them, and they woke up and realised they did something stupid,” he said.
Pyne said there were no plans to beef up security.
“We have good cameras throughout the sanctuary and if people are stupid enough to come inside the sanctuary and go near our animals they’ll get caught,” he said.