The Tortoise Trust, which has members from all around the world, has highlighted many ways in which tortoises can escape from the safety of their owners' gardens, from digging underneath walls to climbing over the top of fences.
Jane Williams from the Tortoise South East sanctuary near Colchester said: "Contrary to popular belief tortoises can actually move quite fast. They are real escape artists. They can climb walls, hide in bushes and bury themselves. We find them in all sorts of unusual places. It is amazing how difficult it can be to find them.”
Case Study: Octo the Tortoise's Tracking Device
Octo the tortoise lives with his owner Avril Sanders Royle in a village in Shropshire, but despite having the run of a large lawn at the back of Mrs Sanders Royle's home, at least once each year he finds his way out of the garden and into neighbouring properties.
Previously, Mrs Sanders Royle, who has had the 25-year-old Hermann tortoise since he was one day old, had to rely on friends and neighbours to help her find the escaped reptile. But then her next door neighbour came up with what appeared to be the perfect solution – a small transmitter which could be traced using a small hand held tracking unit.
Finding the Tortoise
Mrs Sanders-Royle said: "He gets out about once a year and we've always been frightened up to now. He got out two weeks ago and we found him about a quarter of a mile away. Then my neighbour found the tracker on the internet for £40. It's actually designed for people who lose their wallets and specs or their purse or walking stick, but the handset picks up signals from the transmitter when it's pointing at it.
"We checked with a vet before we stuck it on Octo because we needed to be sure it wouldn't be poisonous, but then when he disappeared last week we started zapping all the gardens nearby, and when we got close it started making noises. Technology saves the day! It's quite a relief – it's like looking for a needle in a haystack otherwise. It's wonderful, we can instantly find him.
"Aside from running away he's very well behaved. The cat and the dog and the tortoise all get on together. But he goes like the wind when it's hot. He was gone at max three hours last week and he went half a mile. He's solar powered!"
Pam Griffin - Pam Griffin is a journalist working in Shropshire, UK. She is interested in first aid, singing and playing music, history, and ...
