HAVE you seen Puck? He is a red squirrel, 15 centimetres tall, knitted and his owners are desperate to find him.

Now Oxford couple Ben Hennig and Tina Gotthardt have appealed for the public’s help using posters and social media.

They had been photographing the toy in different places around Oxford, but lost him on Saturday while walking through Wolvercote Common.

After setting up a Facebook group and Twitter profile, someone told them they had spotted the elusive rodent at the gate between the common and Burgess Fields on Sunday, before he mysteriously disappeared again.

Our top stories

Puck, bought from wildlife charity Westmorland Red Squirrels for about £20, was last seen wearing a blue jumper, green scarf, grey trousers and brown shoes.

Oxford University research fellow Mr Hennig, 36, said: “We lost him while walking in the common on Saturday, so he must have fallen on the ground.

Oxford Mail:

Puck - the missing knitted squirrel

“Two people have contacted us to say they had spotted him sitting by the gate at the entrance to Burgess Fields on Sunday, but when we looked later he was not there. We think someone must have picked him up and has probably not heard there is a search going on for him. It is probably not anything deliberate.”

Mr Hennig, who is originally from Germany, said the knitted squirrel was a Christmas present that he named after the elf Puck from Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He and girlfriend Miss Gotthardt, 35, have been taking photos of him in different places around Oxford to raise awareness of the plight of red squirrels. He said: “It’s a good way of engaging people with the issue.”

They have put posters up around Wolvercote, Jericho and Burgess Fields and started a campaign on social media to find him.

Iffley Road resident Mr Hennig said that although he could buy a new knitted squirrel, it would not hold the same sentimental value as Puck.

He added: “We don’t want to just buy a replacement because we know it wouldn’t be the same. He has a lot of personal value to us.

Westmorland Red Squirrels raises awareness about the threat posed to red squirrels pose by their grey cousins, which come from North America and compete for the same food and habitats. They can also pass on fatal diseases to them.

  • For more information about Puck search for ‘Puck the Red Squirrel’ on Facebook or find @PuckTheSquirrel on Twitter.
  • If you have seen Puck, email matt.oliver@oxfordmail.co.uk

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.