Appeals for help to find missing Irwin the emu

The sanctuary is concerned that Irwin may have fallen in the River Avon

An animal sanctuary is concerned for the safety of one of its emus, which has gone missing.

Malmesbury Animal Sanctuary announced Irwin the emu's disappearance on its Facebook page on Monday morning.

Gary Nageb, who works at the sanctuary, told BBC Radio Wiltshire he feared Irwin had fallen in the nearby River Avon while running around at night.

"Emus can swim, so he could easily be in someone's garden, or a field. Emus are quite hardy." he said.

"We tracked downstream with a drone as far as we can and we haven't found any sign of him.

"It's a real mystery and we're very very concerned. They're our babies and we've had them for years."

Mr Nageb added that the team would try and communicate with Irwin by thumping a wooden barrel near the river, which he says produces a sound not unlike an emu call.

Workers at the sanctuary went door-to-door on Monday to ask people around Malmesbury to search their gardens and get in contact if they have seen any suspicious behaviour around the sanctuary.