Group of guinea pigs spotted on Jersey north coast

A group of guinea pigs has been spotted roaming Jersey's north coast with no reason known as to how they got there.

The JSCPA said it received a call on Tuesday morning after a walker spotted six of the non-native creatures among brambles and gorse near the cliff path's at Devil's Hole in St Mary.

Head of service delivery Katie Kay said the team responded immediately and it was a sight staff described as "highly unusual". She added three out of six had been found so far.

"We definitely don't normally get calls for six guinea pigs out in the wild. We have no idea at the moment why they are here and we can't speculate."

After arriving to the call at 09:00 GMT, the rescue team were able to see them moving between gorse and brambles but initially could not get close enough to catch them.

By midday, the rescue team had managed to catch three of the six.

"We watched, waited, couldn't catch any, called for backup and we've been here ever since just sort of waiting for the opportunity to get them," Kay said.

The JSPCA said the guinea pigs were at risk from dogs, cats and birds of prey on the north coast.

The rodents were also next to a field of sheep, it added.

"There's a huge risk to their lives because of the wildlife that is out here," Kay said.

She added the rescued animals were being taken back to the shelter to be checked over by vets before future plans could be put in place for them.

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