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| Wild dogs escape from animal park | Wild dogs escape from animal park |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Zookeepers are searching the countryside around a zoo in Kent for three wild dogs that have escaped. | |
| Keepers at Howletts Wild Animal Park, near Canterbury, discovered a pack of 10 dholes was missing at 0930 GMT. | |
| The park has not opened to the public while the search is being carried out. All but three have been recaptured. | |
| The animals, which are also known as Asiatic wild dogs, have a rusty red coat. Adults are about 1m (3.2ft) tall and weigh up to 17kg (2.6st). | The animals, which are also known as Asiatic wild dogs, have a rusty red coat. Adults are about 1m (3.2ft) tall and weigh up to 17kg (2.6st). |
| In the wild, dholes live in dense forest and thick scrub jungle and feed on deer, wild pigs, mountain sheep, guar and antelope. | |
| Report sightings | Report sightings |
| A spokeswoman for Kent Police said a search was being carried out in the surrounding countryside and armed officers were on stand-by, but added the animals did not pose a significant risk to the public. | A spokeswoman for Kent Police said a search was being carried out in the surrounding countryside and armed officers were on stand-by, but added the animals did not pose a significant risk to the public. |
| People are advised not to approach the animals but report any sighting. | People are advised not to approach the animals but report any sighting. |
| A spokeswoman for the park, which, combined with its sister zoo, Port Lympne, near Ashford, is home to 1,000 animals and 90 different species, said the dholes were bred in captivity. | A spokeswoman for the park, which, combined with its sister zoo, Port Lympne, near Ashford, is home to 1,000 animals and 90 different species, said the dholes were bred in captivity. |
| "If anything, they'll be wanting to find their way back," she said. | "If anything, they'll be wanting to find their way back," she said. |
| The park was set up by the late John Aspinall to help protect and breed rare and endangered species and return them to safe areas in their native homeland. | The park was set up by the late John Aspinall to help protect and breed rare and endangered species and return them to safe areas in their native homeland. |