STAFF at Dalton zoo have spoken of their relief at being reunited with two penguins which were allegedly stolen.

Zookeepers felt they had "lost a member of the family" when it was discovered that Rico and Patrik the Humboldt penguins had gone missing from the colony three months ago.

Exotic animal collector Reece Oliver from Nottinghamshire paid, in good faith, almost £10,000 for the pair of 15-year-old penguins after seeing an advert on Facebook.

After taking the birds to a vet he discovered from their microchips that they belonged to South Lakes Safari Zoo and less than 12 hours later staff travelled to Nottinghamshire with police to bring them home last Thursday.

Chief executive Karen Brewer told The Mail: "The male is doing well and eating us out of sprats! The female is showing signs of stress but is now receiving the expert care and attention needed.

“It’s an absolute relief to have the two back in the zoo where they can receive the best care and attention and can settle back into the group.

"For the staff it was like losing a member of the family so there are lots of smiles today. We understand someone is under investigation and we hope that Patrik and Rico get the justice they deserve.

"Apart from the fact exotic animals need the correct environment and care we urge anyone to consider where animals have come from before purchasing them, and what conditions those animals have been kept in.

"There are certain protocols we have to follow when bringing in additional animals which means the two have to go into 30 day quarantine.

"As Rico and Patrik have already been through an ordeal we decided they would be better off back with the colony than on their own in isolation and therefore the whole colony is under quarantine.

"Although we know visitors love to join us to hand feed the penguins we hope everyone will agree with our decision to suspend these whilst we look after Rico and Patrik."

n A 23-year-old man from Preston, arrested on suspicion of burglary and theft has been released under investigation, Nottinghamshire Police said.