A manhunt has been launched for a ‘badger bandit’ who ran off with a countryside pub’s irreplaceable mascot.
Mr and Mrs Badger, two soft toys, had been a staple of the Oddfellows Arms in Wimborne, Dorset, for 35 years.
But this week Mrs Badger was left without her companion for the first time in decades after staff noticed he had disappeared on Friday, March 27.
CCTV revealed that Mr Badger was taken by a woman who hid him under her scarf as she fled the boozer – before fleeing to Wetherspoons for a celebratory drink with the mascot perched on her lap.
The Oddfellows has launched a desperate appeal for information about the culprit, but to no avail, leaving Mrs Badger staring out of the pub’s window longing for her partner’s return.
Callum Brooks, the landlord, said the ‘outlaw’ and her friends had been sitting near the windowsill where Mr Badger was perched before making off with the historic toy.
‘There were five of them in the group and they all knew what she was up to,’ he insists.
‘We thought: Things happen, and people make mistakes after a few beers, so we made an appeal for her to return it.
The Oddfellows Arms in Winborne, Dorset, has launched an appeal after an unnamed woman ran off with its mascot, Mr Badger (The woman is pictured with the furry toy)
The theft has left Mrs Badger without her companion for the first time in 35 years (Mrs Badger is pictured staring forlornly out of the pub’s window this week)
The pub took to social media offering a ‘reward’ for information about the badger’s whereabouts
‘We are aware that it is a stuffed toy and there are far more serious things going on in the world. But you should not be tampering with history.
‘I know people often steal empty glasses from pubs, but they can be replaced, and the badger can’t.
‘We don’t want to start a witch hunt – we just want our badger back.’
So special to the boozer are the furry toys that its range of Badger Beers is named after them.
Locals are yet to identify the woman, who some have described as a ‘grockle’ – a local term for an unpopular tourist.
But the Oddfellows wants its stuffed animal returned ready for a street party on April 11, and has resorted to offering a ‘reward’ on social media in exchange for information.
The post read: ‘REWARD: BADGER. Taken from our pub by an unknown outlaw. If you know something, say something.
‘Help us bring him home where he belongs. Reward offered for information leading to his safe return.’
While the thief remains at large, speculation around the village of 15,000 people has been rife.
One woman wrote on Facebook: ‘Looks strikingly like the woman who I saw recently wearing a very similar scarf to the one I “lost” over Christmas.’