School warned about escaped dogs

People are advised not to approach the animals but report any sighting

A primary school in Kent has been warned by police that two wild hunting dogs that escaped from a zoo have been sighted near their premises.

Keepers at Howletts Wild Animal Park, near Canterbury, discovered a pack of dholes was missing on Wednesday.

Staff at Littlebourne Primary School were alerted to the sighting nearby.

Kent Police said the dogs, 18 of which have been secured, pose "minimal risk" but armed officers are on standby and a helicopter has carried out a search.

The animals, which are also known as Asiatic wild dogs, have a rusty red coat. Adults are about 50cm (1.6ft) tall and weigh up to 17kg (2.6st).

Twelve of the dogs are now secured in their enclosure and six have had to be killed, a spokesperson said.

The park was closed following the incident but has since reopened.

We understand the two remaining dogs split up and went in different directions Tricia Corkhill, Howletts

Howletts spokeswoman Tricia Corkhill said: "Armed police, a vet and the animal director are still searching for the two missing dholes.

"They are following up on sightings from members of the public in fields close to Howletts and the surrounding areas in Canterbury.

"We understand the two remaining dogs split up and went in different directions. They are likely to be trying to find their way back to familiar surroundings."

She added that an internal investigation has begun to examine how the dogs escaped.

A Kent Police spokesman said: "We understand they pose minimal risk to members of the public.

"However, if people spot one of the dogs, we ask them to call police and not to approach the animal themselves."

In the wild, dholes live in dense forest and thick scrub jungle and feed on deer, wild pigs, mountain sheep, guar and antelope.

The park, combined with its sister zoo, Port Lympne, near Ashford, is home to 1,000 animals.