Search on for two runaway animals

It is not clear where the wild boar came from

Searches are taking place across Scotland after a wild boar and a rare eagle went on the loose.

The bird, a cross between a golden eagle and a Russian Steppe eagle, escaped while being trained by its owner in Livingston, West Lothian.

Meanwhile, the boar has been on the run in Dunblane since the weekend but no-one knows where it has come from.

The public have been warned not to approach the eagle while the SSPCA said the boar should not be cornered.

The eagle is 2ft tall and has a 4ft 6 ins wingspan. There are thought to be fewer than 10 birds of its kind in the UK.

It was being trained in the Deans area of Livingston on Monday at 1000 BST when it failed to come back to its owner.

The bird has very sharp talons and could hurt anyone who attempts to touch it Lothian and Borders Police

The bird has red tassels attached to its legs. It is about four months old and is still being trained.

A Lothian and Borders Police spokeswoman said: "This is a very distinctive bird, last seen around the Dechmont Woods area of Livingston.

"We are urging the public to be vigilant and contact police if they see it, but warning them not to approach it.

"The bird has red tassels hanging from its legs and there is a possibility that the tassels may get caught up in a tree, bush or fence.

"If anyone does see the bird caught in something, please do not attempt to free it. It has very sharp talons and could hurt anyone who attempts to touch it."

There have been several reported sightings of the boar since it was first spotted.

Boar farm

It is thought to be a young animal but it is not clear where it has come from.

Blair Drummond Safari Park, a few miles away, said it is not one of their animals, as did a nearby wild boar farm.

It is thought it could have come from a local slaughterhouse where wild boars are regularly killed for the Edinburgh and London restaurant markets.

Police and animal welfare experts are now scouring the town for traces of the animal.

Three years ago, a boar nicknamed McQueen after the actor who starred in the Great Escape, ran off from the Stirlingshire abattoir.

After scaling a wall and swimming across the fast flowing Allan Water he evaded a posse of police officers and slaughter men, before going to ground in dense undergrowth.

The Scottish SPCA said that although boars are not dangerous, they can become aggressive if cornered.