Officers were on patrol when they stumbled across a Humboldt penguin waddling about in the early hours of Sunday.
Immediately suspicious, the officers “quickly moved to question him on what he was doing walking in the middle of the road”.
While the penguin could not provide a straight answer, after some investigative work the police determined where he had come from.
It turns out the friendly and photogenic bird, nicknamed Po-Po, had escaped from a nearby farm enclosure and had journeyed a mile up the road.
“We see some very interesting things while out on patrol, but a penguin walking up the middle of the road has to be one of the more bizarre findings we have come across,” PC Gareth Philp said.
“He posed for some pictures with us and he was very friendly with our officers while we made contact with his owner.
“He was then safely returned home.”
