It may seem like a stunt out of Mission Impossible but it was in fact the adventure of one fearless chicken.
The runaway bird escaped from its farm and hitched a ride on the spare wheel of a Land Rover – travelling 25 miles to Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire from Kintore.
The brave chicken was then spotted by Dave Jacobs, 58, who initially thought the bird was local and belonged to a neighbour.
So the kind Mr Jacobs popped the adventurous bird in a coop while he and his family went away for the weekend.
But he was shocked to learn that the chicken actually belonged to a farmer almost 25 miles away.
The Stonehaven local stumbled across the chicken on his way to work at around 6am on Saturday.
He had been cycling down to the sea to start his day at Stonehaven Paddleboarding.
Mr Jacobs thought the whole encounter was bizarre and tried to capture the chicken but after a few aborted efforts, he left it to wander.
A brave chicken who hitched a ride on the back of a Land Rover for 25 miles was eventually spotted by Dave Jacobs, 58, (pictured) who reunited it with its owner
The runaway bird escaped from its farm and travelled to Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire much to the surprise of its owner
Mr Jacobs chased the chicken in to a coop before he was alerted by the worried farmer who revealed the escaped chicken was in fact his
Later on, with the help of some passers-by, he managed to herd it in to a coop.
He then posted an appeal on social media which led to a farmer from Kintore contacting him. At this point the couple who lives near Dave confirmed they weren’t missing any feathered friends.
A social media appeal alerted the chicken-rescuer and the farmer in Kintore revealed the missing bird was his.
He explained that he believed the chicken had hitched a ride on the back of a friend’s Land Rover, nestling in the spare wheel and had managed to cling on for the whole journey.
Mr Jacobs confessed he was ‘surprised’ by the discovery and was even more shocked to learn that the farmer also had a second bird missing.
He told the Daily Record that the pair believe the bird could be on the loose in Stonehaven.
He said: ‘I couldn’t believe that a chicken had travelled that far at the speed of 60 or 70 miles an hour on the back of a Land Rover because it was sitting on the spare wheel, not even on the roof.
‘He [farmer] says they do sit on the back of his Land Rover and if he is driving around the farm they just sit there.’
And the chicken isn’t the only animal to roam free in Scotland. Last year drones were brought in to find a missing dog who travelled hundreds of miles through the Scottish highlands in an absence which prompted a 17-day search.
Carrie Kemp had to rush home from her family holiday in Ibiza after she received a call to say her dog had escaped from the pet’s kennels back on October 6.
The mum-of-three left her family on the Spanish island and joined the frantic search for her dog, a German Shepherd called Rayne.
Carrie, from Ballinluig, near Pitlochry in Scotland, said she spent so much time walking around the rugged landscape that her feet were left bleeding.
Eventually, a rescue team were called in and used live cameras, bait stations, drones and thermal scopes to track down Rayne – who was eventually found last Wednesday after 17 days in the wilderness, The Mirror reports.
Carrie Kemp had to rush home from her family holiday in Ibiza after she received a call to say her dog, Rayne, had escaped from the pet’s kennels
Traps were placed in the Comrie area after a sighting of Rayne and she was eventually caught
Carrie camped out and slept in her car whenever there was a sighting of Rayne who despite being spotted managed to avoid capture.
It is believed that Rayne scavenged for food as she travelled hundreds of miles through glens and rivers.
Carrie told the Daily Record: ‘When the message came in to say they got her I just couldn’t believe it. I felt totally overwhelmed, I was shaking like mad.
‘I couldn’t believe we’d got her at last. She was jumping all over the kids, it was just amazing. Hundreds of people were involved in the search.
‘The team at Missing Pets, Perth and Kinross, were amazing. They pulled all-nighters out in the van with the thermal scopes, putting food trails down.
‘Locals were out looking every day and out searching with the thermal scopes.’
‘One of the volunteers even had an infrared drone – but we were always two steps behind her.
‘Every time there was a sighting the adrenaline would kick in, but the area was just so vast that every time we arrived she’d moved on.’
On the night she was caught, traps were placed in the Comrie area after a sighting of Rayne.
Carrie, who works in admin, said that when Rayne was finally found she ‘couldn’t believe it was all over’.
Daniel Horsley with his springer spaniels Riley, Willow and Merlin, pictured right, who went missing and was only rediscovered after a trail was laid for him to follow home
She added: ‘Although she is very thin, wobbly at the back, and covered in ticks, scabs and scars – she is back barking away happily and playing with her toys.
‘I never want to let her out of my sight again.’
Other owners managed to bring their beloved pooches back under their own steam, leaving a trail of clothes and food to guide it home.
A springer spaniel named Merlin ran off from his owners’ front garden last year, sparking a huge response which included more than 100 people who went out to search for the escaped dog.
Teams of locals went out checking parks and open spaces, while search and rescue later used heat-seeking equipment.
But the key breakthrough came after owners Daniel Horsley, 49, and Pam Graham, 47, were advised to lay a trail including contents from the family’s vacuum cleaner, clothing and toys, hoping their pet would pick up the scent and come home.
Responses offering help even came from as far afield as the United States and Australia, the couple revealed.
Mr Horsley said the response was ‘absolutely amazing’.
Despite repeated sightings and having even managed to slip away when cornered by Mr Horsley and his partner, Merlin remained at large for nearly a day.
The drama came to an end 16 hours later when a bedraggled Merlin simply ‘wandered’ back up the drive at Mr Horsley’s and Ms Graham’s home in Seaton, near Workington, Cumbria.
