With blonde curly coats, these woolly beasts may initially appear to be sheep.

But the unusual animals are in fact Mangalica - a Hungarian breed of domestic pig - which were once on the brink of extinction but have now been spotted in local woodland.

Katie Blake, 54, was shocked when a small group of the animals strolled across her path on Tuesday in Thornden Woods, between Whitstable and Herne Bay.

"I was there as a Kent Wildlife Trust volunteer, helping to clear a section of the woodland," she explained.

"We were standing around and they just walked past.

"There were three of them, all about the same size.

"At first we thought they were sheep, then we realised they were actually pigs. They were just rutting around looking for food, and ranging up the public footpath.

"I just dropped my loppers and rushed to follow them with my camera," said Mrs Blake, of Marine Parade, Tankerton.

"They were very tame - they didn't mind us being there at all.

"It was very quiet that day as the road running woods is closed for maintenance, so there weren't many dog walkers around.

"The woods warden had never seen them before.

"This story is especially strange as I live next door to the man who had a shark land in his back garden last month," she added.

Staff at Wildwood Discovery Park, which borders Thornden Woods, said there had also been sightings of the woolly animals just outside their park's boundaries, in the past few days.

A wildlife park spokesman said the pigs are believed to be domesticated, but that no owners have yet been identified.

The animals are thought to be extremely rare in the UK.

In 2010, several Mangalica were delivered to Tropical Wings zoo in Essex, reportedly in an effort to keep the species from extinction.

Wildwood spokesman Dan Farrow said: "The woolly pigs are a domestic breed called Mangalica, originating in Hungary and are not indigenous to the UK.

"There are a number of farms in the UK which breed them for meat and they also make good pets, but as far as we're aware there are no wild colonies on our shores.

"Chances are that the pigs roaming Thornden Woods have escaped from a farm or a private collection - they have certainly not escaped from Wildwood, as we do not have any of this breed at the park.

"They're not a danger to the public unless cornered or threatened, but you should keep your distance and report any sightings to the council.

"Hopefully the owners will be found soon."