PARTRIDGES, bees, snakes and swans were among more than 2,400 thefts of animals in Oxfordshire in five years.

There were 2,432 animals, including 171 dogs, reported stolen to the police between 2009 and 2013, according to statistics obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Some of the animals taken included two horn owls, 140 partridges, 20 deer, a goldfish with its bowl, a Shetland pony and two albino corn snakes.

In most cases the animals were not recovered, with just 65 animals returned to their owners.

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One of the many who has not seen her beloved pet again is Roseanne Daly, whose dog was stolen in 2013.

The Sandford-on-Thames resident believes two men took her seven-month-old Jack Russell Daisy from her front garden.

She said: “The man said: ‘She’s nice, isn’t she?’ while he was asking me for gardening work.

“I know I’ll never see her again, but I still look out for her. In just three seconds she was gone.

“Daisy cost me money and I’d bonded with her. She was amazing, she made me forget all of my trials.

Ms Daly, who is retired, has since bought another Jack Russell called Thia-But.

She said: “I want other people to be more careful and not leave dogs in their gardens.”

Figures for 2013 of 366 reported thefts were up on the previous two years – 175 in 2012 and 186 in 2013.

However they are a way off 2010 when more than 750 pheasants reported stolen in the South and Vale area led to a five-year high of 1,153.

Nick Carpenter is the founder of Oxford-based oxford.animalfinders.co.uk, a site for people trying to track down their lost or stolen pets.

It details the location and details of all the lost, stolen and found pets in Oxford.

He said: “Those figures are really shocking. There are various ways that people steal dogs. There are opportunists that just take unattended animals from people’s gardens or tied up outside shops.

“People just don’t think it’s going to happen to them, or may not even be aware that it’s a problem.

“A pedigree dog might be stolen for breeding, but when you look at a dog you can’t tell if it’s been spayed or neutered.

“Often when they find it’s not for breeding they resell it or just let it go again.

“Horribly, dogs are often taken for fighting or stolen for ransom with people waiting for “lost” posters to go up before demanding a reward.”

Most of the stolen animals – 76 per cent – were from South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse, with just four per cent stolen in Oxford.

Colin Butcher is the director of Pet Detectives, which helps trace stolen animals.

He said: “The Oxfordshire area is rife with thefts because there’s an awful lot of farmland and rural crime is quite a big problem there.

“Criminals who are stealing metal or equipment from farms see the opportunity to take animals as well.”

Thames Valley Police spokeswoman Lucy Billen said: “TVP advises owners to check their livestock regularly, and if the livestock are making more noise than usual this could mean something has disturbed them.

“Check the fields to see if anyone is in the field with them. Check the security of boundary fencing/hedging and make regular checks of fields where animals are kept to ensure fences are not breached.”

RSPCA spokeswoman Harriet Cawley said: “The RSPCA would encourage all owners to microchip their pets and all vets to check animals for a microchip.

“If your animal is microchipped, your contact details are stored on a database such as PetLog and this helps ensure a fast and foolproof way of tracing you as the owner.”

Under the Theft Act, pets are considered property and have the legal status as anything else taken illegally. Stealing and mistreating an animal, in breach of the Animal Welfare Act, carries the maximum penalty of a £20,000 fine and/or six months imprisonment.

A dog was stolen from its kennel in the back garden of a home in Burdrop, Banbury. Thames Valley Police said the 10-year-old springer spaniel, called Charlie, was taken between 9am and 6.15pm on Wednesday, December 17. Neighbours reported seeing a white Ford Transit van circling the area before the thieves broke into the kennel, police said.

The dog has been micro-chipped.

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