THE owner of a rare owl has issued an appeal for help after the bird went missing.

Gizmo, a Peruvian striped owl, escaped from his aviary between 9pm on Tuesday and 9am on Wednesday.

This weekend, a female was due to join the six-month-old owl so owner Wayne Smith could breed from the pair.

Mr Smith – who has a collection of 12 birds of prey kept in aviaries in his Witney garden – said: “He wasn’t stolen, I think he escaped. It was down to me not locking the door properly as I have been doing some long shifts recently.

“It’s the first time an owl’s gone missing in 15 years.”

Gizmo – named after the creature in film Gremlins – is brown and ginger, with black and white stripes down his chest. He is about a foot tall.

Hand-reared, Gizmo is friendly and Mr Smith said that he would probably seek human company.

Mr Smith said: “He is tame and will probably make a lot of noise. I have left food in the garden to entice him back down. He will be hiding somewhere – he is probably in someone’s garden.”

Mr Smith, a father-of-four who works in London fixing traffic lights, has kept and bred owls as a hobby for the past 15 years. He plans to start displaying them next year.

Mr Smith added: “I like to educate people about owls.

“All the kids on the estate like the owls and a lot of adults like them as well.”

Gizmo belongs to Mr Smith’s six-year-old daughter Tia.

His partner Petra Aston said: “We want our family complete again.

“I am so worried about him as he isn’t even a year old.

“We have had him since he was three months old – I feel like he is one of my babies. He is definitely missed. We just want him back.”

Mr Smith has been knocking on neighbours’ doors to look for his missing pet.

If anyone spots Gizmo, call Mr Smith on 01993 705392.