Fairytale ending for pet guinea pig Autumn who is reunited with his owners after three weeks on the run
A pet guinea pig who escaped during a burglary at his owners’ home in Roydon has been found safe and well in Bishop’s Stortford after three weeks roaming wild.
How he found his way to Stortford remains a mystery. Either he was dumped by the burglar or he wandered across a road and field behind his home before meeting the River Stort towpath. From there he could have travelled nine miles north (14km), ending up in Stortford, where he has spent the past week evading capture.
Today (Tuesday) the family, who had offered a £100 reward for his capture and return, said that it was “a miracle” he had survived so long in the open and he was now “very happy” to be back with his brother, Pig, who had been pining for him.
Mum Keeley said they managed to catch him on Saturday (Sept 14) with help from her son, friend Samantha and several members of the public who were on the riverside path behind the Millers buildings, off Southmill Road.
“We found our piggy! Our guinea pigs are back together and are so happy. We’re thrilled. It’s been a little miracle in the midst of such a horrible event,” she said, adding that her 10-year-old twins, Tallulah and Sebastien, were delighted to have him home.
Using recordings of his brother’s squeaks, they enticed him out of the undergrowth and onto a net covered with hay and tempting salad leaves before scooping him up.
“We had to be patient, it was a bit like fishing for a guinea pig, and we nearly got him a few times, but it was a really difficult area to get to,” said Keeley, who revealed they had been out every day looking for Autumn since the first sightings.
“We played him the noises of our other guinea pig and that seemed to work. Maybe it helped that he knew our voices as well.
“We thought we’d never see him again, so to get him back is quite incredible. It’s a fairytale ending. We’ve not got anything back from the burglary, so getting him back, especially for the children, is a silver lining.”
Keeley thanked members of the public for their support and constant updates via social media.
Hundreds of people followed the story, posting photos of Autumn happily grazing alongside the river.
“Thanks to everyone who was genuinely helpful – not just those who helped catch him, but everyone who reported sightings,” she said.
