By Kyra Gillespie
A family has made a desperate public plea for the return of their pet lamb, fondly named ‘Mr Winkles’, who was stolen from their Kooweerup property over the weekend.
The four-month-old male lamb was plucked from the McDonald’s Drain Road property on Friday 30 November.
“I went out for two hours at the most, and when I got home he was gone,” owner Zena Barnes said.
“My son and he were inseparable; Mr Winkles would wait at the gate for him to return home from school every day.
“He used to sleep on my son’s bed before he got too big. They had an amazing bond; wherever he went, so did Mr Winkles.”
Mr Winkles was welcomed into the family when he was just two days old after he was abandoned by his mother.
After that he was hand-raised by Ms Barnes’ 12-year-old son.
“It was his pet to look after and bring it up. He’s very upset.”
The mother of four does not believe Mr Winkles could have escaped on his own, and is too big to have been taken by a fox.
“He would go up to anybody – he’s so friendly. He always runs over to the gate if a car comes up to see if it’s us. I’ve checked with all the local vets and pet shelters to see if he’s ended up there, but nobody’s seen him.
“I think someone’s taken him to sell him and make a quick buck. We’ve heard of a few incidents in the area of baby goats and other animals going missing from properties.
“It’s really sad. We just want our lamb home safe and sound.”
While Mr Winkles does not have an ear tag or identification, he was wearing a grey-black reflective collar when he went missing and responds to his name being called.
