Sheerness Times Guardian reporter Adrian Wills may have won the prize for the most quirky animal story of the summer – unless you know better.

Adrian spotted a “wanted” poster in Sheerness Tesco’s, calling for the safe return of Tom, a pet penguin who’d gone AWOL on the way to thevets.

The penguin, was last seen in Marine Parade, and Adrian was soon on the trailof his distraught 22-year-old owner, who told him: “One minute he wassitting in his bread basket in my van, the next, he was gone.

“I was at acash machine when he either jumped out of the window, or someone took him.

“He is very tame – we’ve even taken him camping before. He just sits in hisbread basket in the car and comes with us,” said his owner.

He fears Tom may have made a bid for freedom when he saw the sea.

“Everyonekeeps joking when I tell them that perhaps he’s gone to the fish shop,” hesaid.

“I don’t know whether someone has found him and kept him. I would sayto anyone who finds him, please just give him back.”

He has owned the unusualpet – described as a dead ringer for the Wallace and Grommit penguin – forfour years after being given him as an 18th birthday present.

He shares his home with a milk snake and a chinchilla.

The bird had beenliving happily in his outhouse in Minster, fed on a diet of water, sardinesand cat food.

Tom is described as black and white, about 14 inches tall, slimbuilt, with black eyes and a red ribbon around his neck.

An RSPCA spokesmansaid that if anyone finds Tom, they should p-p-p-pick him up gently, put atowel around him and take him to the nearest vets.

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