Deal’s mysterious black hob ferret appears to have made its way out of town after a report it was seen in St Margaret's.

William Claig of Dover Road in St Margaret’s, claims to have seen the animal last Wednesday while he was out gardening.

He said: “I’m sure it was that. I was cutting back the hedge and I saw this thing. It vanished very quickly.

“It wasn’t a rat and it certainly wasn’t a hedgehog. It was about eight or 10 inches long.”

Mr Claig, whose house is located very close to Wallett’s Court Hotel, said his cat was beside him and the ferret didn’t take any notice of it.

He said: “I wondered what it was. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I’ll take my camera with me next time.”

The creature was first spotted stealing fish from a pond in a garden in Church Path, Deal on Friday, March 13. It was next seen at Marke Wood Park in Walmer on Monday, March 16.

It has been identified by an expert as a hob ferret although many people have disagreed with that finding.

Interestingly, this week, KentOnline uncovered an old story which was published in January 2010. It reported that 12 pure white ferrets and a pure black baby male polecat were stolen from a garden shed in Adelaide Road, Elvington.

Police confirmed that the animals were never found and the case remains unsolved.

Despite several attempts to find out more about the animal on KentOnline and in the Mercury, nobody has offered any information.

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