A South American coati which was wrongly mistaken for a 'small bear ' has been captured after it spent two months on the run . The animal escaped from its private owner in Fawley , in Buckinghamshire , just after New Year and the RSPCA were inundated with calls from people claiming to have seen a 'small bear ' . Animal welfare officers began hunting the clawed coati after he was spotted up a tree in a garden in Marlow , last month . Scroll down for video . Found : The South American coati was spotted by members of the public , who believed it was a 'small bear ' He was finally caught in a humane trap last Monday in the village and was reunited with his owners . Dennis Lovell , the charity 's animal collection officer , said the caoti had been missing a month before they were contacted . He said : 'In early February we received a flurry of calls regarding a small bear like animal that was spotted in and around the Marlow area . 'It was eventually established it was actually a coatimundi that was on the loose after escaping from a home in the area . 'We soon discovered where he had escaped from and were in contact with the owners about getting him home safely . 'The coati seemed to be favouring three gardens by the river to visit for food so we laid a humane trap with pieces of fresh fruit at one of the properties . 'Thanks to the help of the nearby householders we were able to keep an eye on the trap and as soon as he was in there I was able to go down , collect him and return him to his owners . Caught : The coati escaped from its private owners after New Year and was finally captured in a humane trap . 'Considering he had been on the run for around two months he was in a very good condition and it was lovely to be able to reunite him with his owners . ' Coatis , full name coatimundis and distant relatives to the raccoon , can be difficult to look after because their needs are so specialist . They are native to South , Central and parts of North America and are commonly found in tropical forests , living primarily on a diet of insects . The RSPCA has recommended that anyone considering getting one as a pet thoroughly researches the species .
Animal escaped from private owner in Buckinghamshire after New Year . RSPCA received calls from members of public who spotted a 'small bear ' He was caught in a humane trap last Monday and reunited with owners . Comment: