WEST Somerset's wildlife had a touch of the exotic this week after two agoutis went on the run. The rodents - which originate from central and southern America - escaped from Washford's Tropiquaria Zoo after a fence on their outdoor enclosure was damaged.

And although zoo owner Chris Moiser (pictured) has received numerous sightings of the recalcitrant pair, they are yet to be recaptured.

Now he is appealing to local people to contact him as soon as they see either of the escapees in the hope of returning them to their home environment before the weather turns colder.

"They are not dangerous and they are not disease carriers," he said.

"They would bite but they wouldn't inflict any really serious wounds and they're not dangerous to domestic livestock.

"At the moment they are obviously surviving well on fallen fruit and vegetables - in fact they're probably getting sloshed on all the windfall apples.

"But in the winter they do need supplementary feeding so we really do need to get them back as soon as possible."

The agoutis - both males aged between five and six - broke free about ten days ago.

They and a female normally exist happily in a paddock at the zoo, while another, tamer agouti is housed inside.

Chris believes the fence was damaged by badgers.

The missing agoutis have been spotted in the Danesfield Middle School area, while one was seen making its way to Williton on Wednesday.

"We've got about six humane traps out but obviously we need to know as soon as they are seen so that we can site the traps in the right places.

"Nobody would be able to catch them if they are in the open but if they were anywhere they could be cornered then we could net them quite quickly and without any problem."

Agoutis are one of the few animals capable of breaking open the pods of the Brazil nut tree and have a symbiotic relationship with the plant.

After they open the pods they bury the extra nuts over a wide area and seeds not retrieved by them for food then grow into new trees.

"There wouldn't be Brazil nuts without agoutis," said Chris.

Anyone spotting the escapees should contact the zoo on 01984 640688.