Zookeepers are asking residents to check their ponds for an escaped capybara as sniffer dogs have been brought into the search.

Samba busted out of her temporary enclosure just a day after arriving at Marwell Zoo near Winchester, Hampshire, on Tuesday and has been missing ever since.

Samba’s pen-mate Tango joined her escape but was quickly recovered from some bushes near the zoo.

As the search enters its sixth day, the zoo has asked nearby residents to check their gardens, ponds, and rivers, as these are places where Samba may be hiding. Sniffer dogs have now been deployed to track down the mischievous giant rodent after they narrowed down the search area.

A new video of a sighting has emerged on the side of the River Itchen, near Winchester around 11.05am on Sunday morning.

Mother-of-two Claudie Paddick, 42, creeps up to the capybara on the bankside but her Labrador Growler spooks her by barking. Samba neatly plops into the water and is seen no more.

Mrs Paddick sent the video to her neighbour who immediately recognised it was Samba and raised the alarm.

Fifteen people descended on the scene to use heat-seeking tech to try to find her again after she disappeared.

Mrs Paddick, a family lawyer, said: ‘This morning I was taking the dogs along the riverbank and noticed something that I thought was a beaver. Then I thought it was an injured deer.

Mother-of-two Claudie Paddick, 42, spotted Samba that capybara while out with her dogs but she was scared away when they barked at her

Samba and Tango had only been at Marwell Zoo a day before they escaped together. Tango was quickly found in bushes nearby but Samba has been missing for six days

Mrs Paddick had been out on a walk with her Labrador Growler and her sausage dog Patsy

‘It then jumped in the river and it didn’t come back out and I was like what the hell is that?

‘It was something I had never seen before. When I sent the video to my neighbour they said it is a capybara and they called Marwell Zoo right away.

‘A capybara is something I have never seen or even heard of before but now I’m a bit of an expert.

‘We see lots of animals when we go walking down the river but never a rodent from the Amazon.

‘Marwell Zoo were really happy that it looked happy and not too stressed and they then sent a team down and they probably have around 15 people now.

‘I am absolutely going to go and visit her if and when she is taken back to Marwell Zoo. I might go out with my children later to look for her but it has been a lot of excitement for one day.

‘I’m not sure about Growler but I hope she would be happy to see me.’

Previous reports of sightings were as far afield as Stonehenge – 35 miles away. Another potential sighting was at a pub in neighbouring Owslebury.

The zoo has urged anyone who might happen upon Samba to call them so she can be safely recovered.

Capybaras are the worlds largest rodents, weighing up to 80kg and measuring up to 1.7 metres in size, and are native to South America.

A Marwell Zoo spokesperson spoke about Mrs Paddick’s sighting. They said: ‘This has led us to a reduced search area, not far from where she was originally sighted, which has meant we could better deploy thermal drones to try and locate her.

‘So far we have been unsuccessful in finding her, but as the dogs have picked up her scent on both days, we are keeping everything crossed we can pinpoint her location as soon as possible.

Marwell Zoo has urged anyone who happens on Samba to call them to allow them to safely recover her

Samba, the escaped capybara spotted outside the Ship Inn, Owslebury

‘The Marwell team have been on foot searching where the dogs have highlighted, and we remain determined to do everything we can to bring Samba home safely.

‘Our thanks once again to everyone continuing to look for Samba.’

Laura Read, CEO of Marwell Zoo, previously said: ‘Tango didn’t stray too far, hiding in bushes in the zoo, and is now safely returned.

‘Samba was more adventurous, and our specialist teams have been looking for her relentlessly since then.

‘Capybaras love water so please check gardens, ponds, rivers and local water environments where she may be hiding. She is also more likely to travel at night so please keep an eye out for her after sunset and be careful when driving.

‘Although we’re asking locals for help looking out for Samba, we would urge people from outside the area not to travel in to search for her.

‘Please don’t approach Samba or disturb the area around her as she may get stressed. It’s very important that only her keepers and the team from Marwell approach her.

‘Although we’re asking locals for help looking out for Samba, we would urge people from outside the area not to travel in to search for her.’

Samba had come to Marwell Zoo from Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park in Ipswich alongside Tango earlier this week on Monday.

The zoo has launched a review to understand how Samba was allowed to escape.

Anyone who believes they have seen Samba is asked to contact the zoo on a dedicated 24-hour hotline at 07436 167401.

Callers are asked to send a photo and either a Google Maps pin or What3Words location to assist the search team.