POLICE are hunting a heartless thug who shot a rare "celebrity" owl.

The friendly Eurasian Eagle owl was a favourite with quarrymen and residents around the Scowles in Coleford until it disappeared last Friday.

Devastated residents spent four days frantically searching the area to find the injured bird after hearing the sound of gunshot.

And yesterday quarryman Chris Godwin managed to capture the owl which was scuttling around in the road after being shot in the wing.

Now the owl is being treated at the International Centre for Birds of Prey Centre at Newent.

And wildlife officer Sgt Simon Clemett is investigating who shot the owl, which first appeared around Stowfield Quarry about 14 months ago.

"It beggars belief that anybody could see a creature like this and think it acceptable to shoot it," he said.

"Whoever did this caused horrendous injury and suffering to this owl, which was a bit of a celebrity because it had been adopted by local people and the men from the quarry.

"We are lucky that one of the drivers found him alive."

The owl first appeared in the quarry about 14 months ago and had obviously escaped from captivity because it had leather jesses on its legs.

He was so friendly he used to bring the quarrymen presents of rats and slept in the crushing store after the machines closed down for the day.

But as he reached maturity he took to sitting on telegraph poles in the nearby Scowles area and hooting for a mate.

Both quarrymen and residents were devastated when he disappeared and mounted search parties to scour the undergrowth.

Driver Chris Godwin spotted him in the middle of the road at 5am on Wednesday morning.

"I chased him through the woods and then chucked my coat over him and put him in the dog box," he said.

"He was flexing his talons at me and would have gripped on given half a chance.

"I know we are big, hairy quarrymen, but we were all gutted when he went and could not believe that somebody could have hurt him."

Residents who feared the worse and placed flowers at the telegraph pole where he used to sit are delighted the owl has been found alive.

Some even took time off work to search for him in the pouring rain.

One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "He was a bit of a local celebrity and was such a character that people used to bring their families to see him.

"He was so tame that you could have a chat with him. He would sit on the telegraph pole and if you talked to him he would just hoot back."

Adam Crisford from the Birds of Prey Centre said the owl would not have survived much longer in the wild because he would have been too weak to fight off predators, such as foxes.

"Only a vet can say what will happen but everything is on his side," he said. "I am just over the moon he has been found. It's disgraceful that anybody could do such a thing."

Sgt Clemett is appealing for anybody who has information and saw anything suspicious to contact police on 0845 090 1234, quoting incident number 447 of February 25.