An echidna stolen from a wildlife sanctuary on Queensland's Gold Coast at the weekend has been returned.

Authorities said the echidna was found safe and well in bushland outside Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary about 6:00pm (AEST) on Monday night.

Two men took Piggie, a four-year-old breeding female, from her enclosure during a break-in at sanctuary on Saturday night.

The theft was caught on camera and sparked a public appeal for information.

One of the men cut away netting to gain access to an enclosure containing a number of echidnas.

The first man attempted to remove three different echidnas from nesting boxes without success.

The second man then entered the enclosure and removed Piggie from her nesting box.

Police said a 24-year-old man was assisting with the investigation.

Senior veterinarian Michael Pyne said she was found in bushland near the sanctuary.

"It's a little bit sketchy, but police said they had one suspect who knew where she had been released," he said.

"I believe she was released [by the suspect] yesterday evening sometime, so we went to the spot where she was released, which was on the other side of the sanctuary boundary ... in a bushland area.

"And bless her, Piggie had only moved about 10 metres and found a great little spot to hide and wedged herself underneath a tree log."

Dr Pyne said it was fortunate staff had found her when they did.

"We may have never seen her again if she spent another night outside," he said.

"She may well have disappeared all together and it's just wonderful to have Piggie home.

"Echidnas are very hard to find and if she had wandered off, right deep into that bushland, we probably would never have found her.

"We're very fortunate to get her."

He said Piggie was the first captive-bred echidna that had been managed at the sanctuary.

"It's like losing one of the family, so it really is amazing to have her back," he said.

Dr Pyne said Piggie was doing well after her ordeal.

"She's clearly stiff and sore, just bruised and a bit knocked around, but no major problems," he said.

"We've already done a full series of X-rays, ultrasounds and collected blood and there's no serious injuries."