Solly has been missing since March

There have been no sightings of Solly since she took up residence in Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire back in May.

Owner David Lowes-Bird made several 80-mile round trips from his home at the Culla Park Outdoor Pursuits Centre in Trimsaran, near Llanelli, to try and capture the bird, a European eagle owl.

He got tantalisingly close to catching Solly, who stands two foot tall, but never managed to trap her.

"We always said Solly would not survive for too long in the wild - it is a big worry Yvonne Lowes-Bird

Wanted posters with pictures of the owl were placed around the town and Mr Lowes-Bird and his wife Yvonne were receiving up to 15 telephone calls each day.

But there have been no new sightings of Solly for weeks and Mrs Lowes-Bird said she feared the worse.

"You never lose hope until someone finds the body," she said.

"But our biggest fear is that Solly has eaten a pigeon or something that has been poisoned.

"She may have been caught by someone else and we would rather that so long as she is being properly looked after.

Dave Lowes-Bird has hand reared Solly

"We always said Solly would not survive for too long in the wild - particularly the winter. It is a big worry.

"When Solly was in Haverfordwest we were getting 10 to 15 calls every day but there has been nothing for weeks."