An elderly woman is appealing to the thief who stole the ornamental fox from her Dundee garden to return the last gift she was given by her late daughter.
Animal lover Eileen Alexander, 82, was given the life-sized stone creature by her daughter Moira, just two weeks before she took her own life, and so it has great sentimental value.
Mrs Alexander had the prized statue, which is painted red and white, in her garden on Douglas Road for five years and never thought someone would steal it.
When she discovered it was gone on Friday morning, she was so distressed that she forgot to take her insulin and suffered a hypoglycaemic attack.
“I’m a diabetic but it upset me so much I forgot to take my insulin and had a hypo,” Mrs Alexander said. “When I woke up the doctor was there.
“I was so upset I didn’t know how to handle it. It just doesn’t make sense. Moira gave it to me and it was one of the last things she ever gave me.
“Because it was a gift from my daughter who is gone, it can never be replaced. I used to go outside and touch its nose.
“It was very, very heavy so it would have been difficult to take. I keep asking myself why someone would do that.”
The statue is much more than a garden ornament to Mrs Alexander and she hopes that, by sharing her heartache, the culprit might have enough of a conscience to return it.
She said the more people who read her story the better, as someone might find her beloved fox.
“I can’t believe that someone would be so wicked,” Mrs Alexander added.
“If I could walk about better I would go out and look for him.”
A police spokesman confirmed that the incident, which took place between 5.30pm on Thursday and 8am on Friday, is being investigated and anyone with information is being asked to contact police on 101.
* Have you seen the fox or do you know where it is? Contact The Courier at jethomson@thecourier.co.uk.