A trap that was once used to snare humans centuries ago has been stolen from a 13th century Scottish abbey.
The device, which would once have been used to catch poachers and trespassers in the 17th and 18th century, was taken from Deer Abbey in Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire.
Police Scotland have now launched an appeal to try and track the historic item, which is usually located on the entrance wall of the abbey ruins, after it was believed to have been snatched sometime between the afternoon of Tuesday June 14 and the following afternoon. Bosses at Historic Environment Scotland, which maintains the building, condemned the theft.
