AN animal on the loose from Tropiquaria Zoo near Watchet last Friday (August 3) was safely home again after having her ears tickled, being calmed with a sedative and loaded onto a digger.

But zoo owner Chris Moiser is puzzled as to how Indra the tapir got out, and they are still investigating the cause.

The tapir, who weighs in at 300 kilograms (47 stone) and stands just under one metre high, was spotted on the A39 by a member of the public, who contacted the police at 5.40am.

Tropiquaria owner Chris was alerted at 6am by police, and Indra was shooed into a cornfield near the zoo. The operation to find her and get her home took over five hours.

“She’s terribly tame but she was frightened at the time,” said Chris.

“We were very worried for her when we heard, and are extremely concerned how it happened.

“We are still investigating and it’s all a bit of a mystery, because the animals in the paddock were all there, and there are no holes in the fence.”