Photo: EcoPic/Depositphotos (Not a photo of the actual tortoise.)
Runaway pets are sadly all too common, yet many families don't give up hope to be reunited with them one day. In Florida, against all odds, a long lost pet tortoise made a miraculous return home. After escaping in 2020, the animal was recently recovered five miles from where she used to live.
The pet tortoise's homebound turn began almost by accident. During one of their rounds, deputies from the Putnam County Sheriff's Office noticed an odd looking turtle trying to cross a highway. After fetching her, they reached out to Florida's Wildest Animal Rescue. The team determined that she was an African Sulcata, a species native to the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The tortoise also seemed to enjoy being around people and getting head pats. This reaction led them to believe the reptile once had a home, and so they decided to share some pictures in case someone was looking for her.
As luck would have it, the tortoise did have a family. “After the post was shared hundreds of times, one of our followers sent us a post from April 2020 of a sulcata tortoise that looked similar, that went missing from the same area!” the Florida's Wildest Animal Rescue wrote. “I was able to compare photos I took to the original post, and It turns out it was the same tortoise! She was missing for 3 1/2 years and found 5 miles away from where she originally escaped.”
Now, the tortoise has finally been reunited with her human family; however, there’s still long way to recovery. “She is in a little bit of rough shape from spending so many cold winters here without heat, but she will be okay, and we recommended a trip to the vet,” Wildest Animal Rescue shares. “What a happy ending! We are so happy we were able to assist in reuniting her with her family!”
A tortoise that escaped from home in 2020 was recently recovered five miles from where she used to live. After being spotted by Putnam County Sheriff's Office, she has been reunited with her family.
h/t: [WPTV]
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