Piggie the echidna is found safe in her enclosure two days after she was abducted by a creepy masked figure – as police speak with the suspected 'echidnapper'
- The four-year-old echidna was was returned home at about 6pm on Monday
- Two men broke into a wildlife sanctuary at Currumbin on the Gold Coast
- They stole Piggie the echidna from enclosure on Saturday about 9:30pm
- Fears were for Piggie's safety as she required specialised care and feeding
Piggie the echidna has survived her abduction and has been returned to her home in a wildlife sanctuary.
The four-year-old monotreme was found back inside its enclosure at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast about 6pm on Monday.
A 24-year-old man has been assisting police with their inquiries after images surfaced of two men who broke into the sanctuary and stole the echidna at 10pm on Saturday.
Piggie the echidna has survived her abduction and has been returned to her home in a wildlife sanctuary
Police had issued images of two men who broke into a wildlife sanctuary and stole an echidna on Saturday
While the bizarre theft might have seemed like a good idea at the time, the 'echidnappers' were the subject of a police manhunt and presumably had a smelly, spiky animal to deal with.
The sanctuary's general manager, Michael Pyne, said it is extremely difficult to imagine a motive for the heartless theft given the echidna is one of the worst animals to steal.
'They are difficult to hold, difficult to feed and they're stinky,' the senior veterinarian said.
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'There's no market for echidnas. You can't sell them and they certainly don't make a good pet.'
Grave fears were held for Piggie, the first echidna successfully bred at the sanctuary, as she was unlikely to survive for long without specialised care.
'I'll be very concerned if we don't have her back within three days,' Dr Pyne had said.
His wish came true and the thieves showed some heart and gave her back to the sanctuary.
One man is wearing a mask but has a distinctive diamond shaped tattoo on his inner left arm
Grave fears were held for Piggie, the first echidna successfully bred at the sanctuary, as she was unlikely to survive for long without specialised care
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast in Queensland, was where Piggie was stolen on Saturday night
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