A LOCAL pet owner is appealing for help in sniffing out her missing ferret.

Mary Jackson, of Sabden, originally had a family of six ferrets escape from their home on March 30 -- but she found five of them sleeping in a bin bag!

The missing pet, a cream and sandy ferret called Zak, was last seen on Monday night last week at the bottom of Blackthorn Street.

Mary said that people who have seen Zak have refused to pick up the fearless ferret, afraid that he will bite them, but these fears are unfounded, for she described Zak as a "lovely, friendly ferret who wouldn't hurt anybody."

It appears that a flair for escapology is a family trait, with Zak following in his father's illustrious footsteps.

Zak's dad, Max, was found following a successful appeal on Burn FM recently, and Mary is hoping that eagle-eyed residents will be able to recover Zak.

Mary, a kind-hearted animal lover counts her family of ferrets as just one branch of her personal animal kingdom, as she currently looks after a diverse and exotic collection of animals including horses, chickens, ducks, a parrot and an iguana!

Anyone who comes across Zak is asked to phone Mary on 01282 680448, or 07977 805479.