From capybara to skunks - the South's strangest animal sightings

It has been a month since Samba the capybara escaped from Marwell Zoo in Hampshire - and the hunt to find her is still ongoing.

But she is far from the only animal escapee in the region.

From wolves and wallabies to pythons and skunks, the South has no shortage of animals turning up in odd places.

Here are some of the more memorable animals on the loose in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire and Dorset.

Samba, a nine-month-old capybara, escaped from Marwell Zoo, near Winchester, in Hampshire, on 17 March.

She slipped out of a temporary holding area alongside her sister Tango, who was quickly recaptured.

But for Samba, the "more adventurous" of the pair, the search goes on on.

The young rodent has had quite a time on the run and has been spotted outside a pub and sunbathing by a river bank.

But despite huge search efforts involving thermal drones and a specialist sniffer dog, Samba remains at large.

Ember, a Eurasian wolf, escaped from Cotswold Wildlife Park in 2017.

Visitors were told to stay indoors as the park activated its emergency plan.

Ember was later found outside the perimeter fence and shot by staff, who said they were too far away to safely use a tranquilliser.

An investigation later found the electric fence was not properly charged and it was possible she climbed over it.

Torak, a 12-year-old wolf, made a break from the Wolf Conservation Trust's site in Beenham, near Newbury, Berkshire, in 2018 after strong winds damaged fencing.

Police warned residents and schools to stay indoors as he traveled eight miles across the countryside.

Fortunately, Torak seemed uninterested in causing any trouble and even passed through a field of sheep without issue.

He was safely recaptured about six hours after his escape.

Five-month-old Edward went missing from the Wheatley area of Oxfordshire and sparked a police hunt - and even a tongue-in-cheek "Rod Hull" hashtag.

On Twitter, one man asked runners to "look out for a big bird, doing 40 top speed".

He was on the run for six days before being spotted by a farmer and returned home.

Chris, named after the late Driving Home for Christmas singer, was described as an "escape artist" by police after spending four weeks on the run around Oxfordshire's Sonning Common.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, local officers said it was the first time they had chased a rhea - a large flightless bird that is related to the ostrich.

In a tweet Thames Valley Police compared the situation to the comedy film Hot Fuzz, in which officers are tasked with recovering a swan.

Another rhea, Kevin, went missing for four days in West Moors, Dorset, after being chased by a dog.

RSPCA animal welfare officer Sue Brooks said: "I've been an officer for over 10 years and I've never seen a rhea in the area. We've had wallabies before, but this is a new one."

He was eventually herded into a farm and reunited with his owner.

An 18ft Burmese python was spotted on the roof of a house in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, after escaping from a nearby property.

Residents only realised what they were seeing when it tried to get through an upstairs window, before a neighbour carried it back to its owner.

Luckily, one brave woman, Linda Elmer, who recognised the snake, stepped in and dealt with the situation.

"Everyone was panicking," she said. "I picked him up - no one wanted to help. It was very difficult because he's a big snake and I managed to hobble down the road with this 18ft python wrapped round me and knocked on the owner's door."

Another python, known as Ellie, escaped from her vivarium in Bournemouth and ended up wedging itself under a kitchen door.

Firefighters were called in the early hours to free the 3ft reptile using hydraulic equipment.

In another case, a snake called Barry was rescued after it was found dumped by a bin in an Oxford park.

Detailed notes were left on the box containing the ball python.

It was found by a member of the public and passed onto the RSPCA, which said it was lucky to have survived the cold.

Sky, a deaf pet skunk, escaped from a garden in Christchurch, Dorset, and went missing for five days.

Described as "fully loaded", because she could spray, people were urged not to get too close in case she released the pungent liquid.

She was eventually found under a car and safely returned home, where she was given chicken wings and cottage cheese as a treat.

Sky's owner said the animal had had quite the "adventure" but that she had returned home "as grumpy as normal".

A tortoise named Mr T was found sheltering on train tracks at Bicester North station.

Rail staff retrieved the runaway reptile and cared for him until he was reunited with his owner.

One worker said it was the first time he had rescued a tortoise from the railway after 30 years in the job.

Amber the dog takes the prize for most ground covered by an animal escapee.

The retriever cross went missing for 36 days after fleeing from her foster family in the New Forest.

She is thought to have covered 100 miles and swam to Brownsea Island before being rescued.

The dog is no stranger to adventure, having been rescued as a street puppy in Qatar by a charity and moved to the UK.

Not a single escape - but a long-running mystery.

Wallabies have been spotted for decades across south Oxfordshire, with sightings now almost mundane.

Back in 2002 there were even reports of "delinquent" wallabies taking over Henley-on-Thames.

Some have been linked to nearby private collections, but exactly how many are out there remains unclear.

But mysterious wallabies are not exclusively found in Oxfordshire.

Another one was rugby-tackled to the ground in Lyme Regis town centre, shortly after it had been seen in a Dorset woman's garden.

Virgil Turner, who captured the animal, said the animal "kicked a bit" following his tackle.

The RSPCA said there had been no reports of a missing wallaby in the area so it was taken to an animal park in Exeter, Devon.

Ten ducklings were found on the motorway without their mother to guide them.

Traffic officers rounded them up and took them to a wildlife rescue charity, where they were cared for.

And a horse shut part of the M4 for about an hour between junctions 12 and 13 in Berkshire.

National Highways said it posed a "significant safety risk" before it was safely moved away.

And finally.... Police and a helicopter were deployed near Hedge End, Hampshire, following dramatic reports of a white tiger in a field.

Play was stopped at a nearby cricket ground and golfers were escorted from a local club.

Animal specialists at nearby Marwell Zoo were enlisted by police and were prepared to send a team with tranquilliser darts to overcome the tiger with contingency plans put in place to close the motorway.

But not all was as it seemed, and the tiger was revealed to be a life-sized stuffed toy when it blew over in the helicopter's down draft.