Capybaras 'stolen' from farm in Moray

A farm in Moray believes its pair of capybaras have been stolen.

Thorabella Farm, near Forres, said the animals - the world's largest rodents and native to South America - vanished from their heated enclosure on Tuesday.

It has been snowing in the area and the farm said there were no tracks on the ground to suggest the capybaras - called Javier and Esmerelda - had escaped and run off.

Owner Nikki Lake said it was an "incredibly distressing" incident and police were doing all they could to help.

Searches have been made of the local area for the animals, which the farm acquired in March.

On Tuesday night, the owners were assisted by a friend using a thermal camera in an effort to detect the capybaras in the darkness.

Mrs Lake said the animals needed heat and a special diet.

She told BBC Reporting Scotland, News at Seven: "If they have been taken I just hope they are being properly cared for."

The capybaras are 10 months old and still not fully grown.

Mrs Lake said the farm, which is open to the public, had been on a waiting list for 18 months to get the animals and there were not many others in the UK.

She said thorough searches were made of the enclosure, which is surrounded by 6ft (2m) high fences.

"We were digging through the snow and my husband was in their pond, which is crazy because it was covered in ice and freezing," she said.

"We're devastated."