A family have released an emotional plea to locals who may have seen their much-loved pet almost a year after he went missing from their family home in Leicester.

A family have been searching Leicestershire and Rutland for almost a year with the hopes of finding their family pet, Rocco, after he escaped in May 2022.

Rocco is a male, African Grey Parrot with distinctive red tail feathers. He had a ring on his right leg when he went missing on 17 May.

The family said that they have a "gut feeling from day one that some one had caught him and kept or sold on", but this remains unconfirmed, and there have been no confirmed sightings of the bird.

One resident shared a sighting in the Oakham and Melton missing pets Facebook group, but the owners confirmed that, unfortunately, it was not Rocco.

Robert Towers, Rocco's owner, said: "We are never going to give up on Rocco so please if you have him give him back.

"If anyone has Rocco or unknowingly bought him off someone I will give you the money to buy your own bird as we just want Rocco back. This is breaking us and we wont give up hope that you will return. We're missing him so much, our lives will never be the same if he does not return. This is ripping our insides apart and we cannot believe 51 agonising weeks have passed and Rocco is still missing and not one confirmed sighting if any one knows of some one finding or suddenly acquiring an African Grey then please let us know we are absolutely devastated, Thank you to every one who has been sharing all over the country. Our hearts are breaking."

Mr Towers recounted the day that Rocco went missing, and blames himself: "It's a total nightmare. It was a nice day and he was in the garden as he had soiled one of his perches, so I opened the door to clean it and in the blink of an eye he flew straight out. Never in 15 years had he done that. It will be a day I will regret for the rest of my life."

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