BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Little Kingsley Mercer just celebrated her 7th birthday. Unfortunately it was a bittersweet celebration, after her beloved Shetland pony Razzle was stolen from her stables. Since then, tips have been flooding in with pony sightings but unfortunately none of them have lead to the whereabouts of Razzle.
The Mercer family is not giving up hope but say the reality of Razzle’s disappearance is beginning to set in.
Razzle disappeared from her stables Oildale after being taken some time in the late hours between September 24 and 25. The story of her disappearance sparking a call to action from the community.
Over the next few weeks, the Mercer family received several tips and donations from community members looking to bring Razzle home.
One sighting led to a moment of hope for the community, a painted Shetland pony found along the road in Shafter Tuesday morning. Kern County Animal Services recovered the pony, eager to determine if it could be Razzle.
“We were all aware of the story,” said Nick Cullen, Director of KCAS. “We where kinda interested to get a look at the markings and compare it to the photos that we had seen.”
But that moment of hope burning out.
“Some of our staff quickly determined that it’s not the same animal,” Cullen said.
While the search for Razzle continues, Cullen said they’ve recently seen an increase in wandering and found Shetland ponies, taking in two in just the last few weeks including Charlie, the pony found in Shafter.
“It’s relatively infrequent that we bring in large or equestrian animals. Is there something happening in the pony community?” Cullen said. “You know is there somebody producing ponies that are maybe indiscriminate in where they’re being placed. And then there’s the potential that it’s just a coincidence.”
The reward for Razzle has been upped to $5,000.
