Where do I put this? 🐢

[FirstBubba]

Two years ago while I was working a lady came outside of her house to ask me if I'd seen her tortoise walking around. Her pet had wandered out of the yard when she was distracted, it was late fall, the temps were supposed to drop below freezing that night and she knew it wouldn't survive if she didn't find it. When I asked her about it the next spring she told me it never did turn up. It was about the size of half a basketball from what she said. Coyotes probably had a once in a lifetime meal.


Neat story FB.

I had seen them in zoo settings, but never up close and personal.
They are amazing creatures.
Even when I find big old snappers in the road, I'll stop and try to at least get them out of the road.
Snappers are a bit more recalcitrant than this guy. He wasn't aggressive or serm to be scared.

This guy was hot, mad, aggressive and DID NOT want my help! LOL!
I finally got him (her?) off into the grass and he/she skedaddled!

[fitch270]

Two years ago while I was working a lady came outside of her house to ask me if I'd seen her tortoise walking around. Her pet had wandered out of the yard when she was distracted, it was late fall, the temps were supposed to drop below freezing that night and she knew it wouldn't survive if she didn't find it. When I asked her about it the next spring she told me it never did turn up. It was about the size of half a basketball from what she said. Coyotes probably had a once in a lifetime meal.


Neat story FB.

[FirstBubba]

Kill it? No way!
The thing HAD to be somebody's pet. Let's face it, it couldn't have wandered miles and miles! LOL!
It's current location wasn't the tortoise fault, why should it pay the ultimate price?

A creature as grand as that one deserves some respect. If it had been just dumped, unlike a dog, cat, deer, whatever, it couldn't dodge traffic. It was pretty much doomed on a highway.
It was large enough, if hit by a vehicle, it could have caused major damage or, at worst, an accident.

The guy that picked him up was going to contact ODWC and several "gawkers" taking pictures were going to post it on FB.

Hey, the guy that took him home may have had "turtle soup" in mind! LOL! ...but at least the animal wasn't left to suffer and die on a highway.

[FirstBubba]

The "Minister of Finance" wrangled me out of my recliner.
"We've got to go to town."
"We?" I asked.
"Yes, you're driving!"
Slurping the last of the coffee out of my cup, I grabbed keys, jacket, cap and grumbled out the door.
At least I'm driving my old '01, one ton dually Dodge.

Thank goodness, everything was taken care of in 3 stops and we headed home.

As we left the small town halfway home, we noticed a pickup parked on the side of the road and a big lump in the east bound lane.
Oh man! Somebody has hit a dog or something.
The pickup slowed and the blob in the east bound lane moved to the middle of the road!
What?

It was a HUGE tortoise!



With the help of strangers, we got him (her?) off the highway and loaded into the back of a pickup.
We're hoping somebody claims it!

It's an "African Spurred Tortoise".