A 10-year-old girl has been reunited with her missing rabbit thanks to a stranger's chance visit to a fish and chip shop.
Isabella Hansen and her sister Melissa were "absolutely dejected and heartbroken" when Cookie disappeared from their Muswell Hill home in Cascade Avenue on May 7 fearing a fox would get the 18-month rabbit.
Unknown to the girls, the unchipped rabbit had been picked up in the gardens of St George's Lodge and taken by two gardeners from the Garden Transformation Gardening Company to the RSPCA in Holloway the same day.
By chance on May 10 Buckingham Lodge resident Joe visited the Fish Palace and saw one of the leaflets the girls had circulated around shops in the area.
"It was quite a circus but I'm glad it had a positive outcome," he said.
"It was just by chance I thought I fancied some chips on Tuesday and on Monday I'd got the report from a neighbour who'd seen a rabbit running around."
He saw the leaflet and called Isabella's mum, Jay Hansen, and told her what he knew.
She in turn went on the wild rabbit chase, contacting everyone who had seen the rabbit, and following leads until eventually she was led to the RSPCA in Holloway.
Jay added: "It must've been a very lucky rabbit to cross Muswell Hill to get to us because it's a main road, plus there are foxes everywhere so it was a very, very lucky escape.
"At one point we were making a joke that if it was in the allotments that back on to us from Alexandra Palace, at least it would be well fed, which made the children feel better that it wouldn't be starving.
"When they did get the rabbit back they were delighted and the other rabbit wasn't pining any more."
Jay said: "We knew that there was a strong possibility that Cookie would be killed by a local fox.
"Joe played a major role in making two girls extremely happy.
"We could not thank the RSPCA enough. Had we not located Cookie when we did, she would have been moved elsewhere because this particular place only houses cats.
"After four days Cookie has been found happy and healthy and relieved to be home."
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