The owner of the exotic South American creature causing a stir in Marlow this weekend has told the BFP she thinks he is “having a ball” as teams race to recapture him.

Lady Judith McAlpine said she has 14 coatis among her wild animal collection at the family’s Fawley Hill Estate and that the escapee is one of the males “chucked out by the girls”.

But instead of retreating to the specially made “bachelor pad” enclosure along with four others, he made a bid for freedom.

And with staff out in Marlow today trying to catch the omnivorous beast with a special net, Lady McAlpine said it is unlikely he will make it back on his own.

She said: “He got chucked out by the girls and did not join the boys. We have a bachelor pad for them, there are four boys who are not with the girls.

“The thing is they have no sense of distance, they don’t know there aren’t any girls out there. Generally speaking they come back but if it’s gone as far as Marlow I doubt it.

“I’m sure he’s having a ball, they love nothing better than running around, they’re very active, but they do look to find food.

“Rather than have him hurt we will try to go out and get him. It seems everybody’s out there trying to grab him.”

Lord and Lady McAlpine – of the McAlpine construction empire – keep a range of exotic animals at their country estate near Henley.

Some of the species they donate to zoos around the country, but they also take in refugees from Tiggywinkles animal hospital which cannot be released into the wild.

Despite the haven of the estate, which she calls a “stress-free” environment, some do fly the nest, with several sightings of unusual creatures around Marlow in the past few years.

The well-documented escape of a capybara, the world’s largest rodent, has spawned numerous sightings along the Thames since 2013.

The missing coati is from the couple current brood of 14, and not the same one spotted in Marlow by a group of ramblers in the same year.

The animals – related to the raccoon – have large bushy tails, but the furtive fugitive had his bitten off by a fellow male, a common species trait according to Lady McAlpine.

Despite being “friendly”, the animal-loving aristocrat said it could accidentally hurt someone if they got too close.

She said: “They will take food fruit and nuts off you, but they have long sharp claws so they can scratch without meaning to.

“If anyone sees him they should call the house and we will come and bring him back.”

The Fawley Hill estate can be contacted on 01491 571373.