Update: Trail camera stolen from Twin Cities group found

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Update: The camera has been found, the group announced Wednesday.

A Twin Cities group that helps dog owners find their lost pets is trying to retrieve a valuable piece of equipment. Their trail camera was taken from a park in St. Paul and they're hoping to get it back.

"It’s sad,” said Britt Zimmel, a volunteer with The Retrievers. “It’s very sad and frustrating and angry to actually watch it happening."

The Retrievers use trail cameras to help return lost dogs to their owners by documenting whether the canines they are looking for are eating at food stations or are captured in traps set up for them. 

"They are essential in bringing the dogs back safely and helping us find out the patterns and what they are doing," said Zimmel.

Zimmel had placed a camera in Swede Hollow Park to find a corgi named Jack, which has been missing for about two weeks. Monday afternoon, the camera went missing. She says before the camera disappeared, it sent her several photos of two people dragging a box filled with copper wire by the trap site. She says the people spent 40 minutes messing with the trail cam before it disappeared. She believes they may be responsible for taking it.

"I know the wiring they can sell, but they didn't take the cable or the lock,” said Zimmel. “So I don't know. It was in a metal box."

Zimmel says Jack was actually spotted a short time after the trail camera was stolen and just like the people in the photos, she hopes his days of freedom are numbered.

"Hopefully, we will get another camera out on Jack and we will be able to spot him,” she said. “He is being quite tricky."

Zimmel says the camera is only worth about $600, but The Retrievers is an all-volunteer organization and relies on donations to carry out its mission.