Head teacher Neil Tunnicliffe said the story had “really captured the imagination” of the children.
they’ve been drawing pictures and one pupil, nine-year-old Rupert, has even written a poem about the escape, which included the lines: “[Samba] was seen by the Itchen, eating a chocolate bar. Someone said she’d been in their kitchen, trying to play the guitar.”
On Sunday 22 March, Samba was spotted by a lady walking her dogs by the side of the River Itchen, before she became spooked and jumped into the water and swam off.
Zoo teams are continuing to search the area and have urged the public not to approach the animal.
They are asking for sightings to be reported with photos or video.