Latest news with #missingpet
Sky News
6 days ago
- General
- Sky News
Reward for tortoise, 43, thought to have been stolen
A woman in South Wales, whose 43-year-old tortoise is thought to have been stolen, has issued an appeal to help locate him - more than a month since he was last seen. Ann Thatcher, whose tortoise Sesame went missing from his home in Neath, South Wales, is still hoping to be reunited with her beloved pet. The 76-year-old told Sky News Sesame had been part of her family since he was bought in a shop in Cardiff 43 years ago. "He's been through five cats, two dogs, two daughters, four grandchildren and various members of the family who've loved him and now gone, so he really is a family member," she said. "And I just can't believe somebody has taken him like that with no thought or regard for him or for us." Her young grandson is particularly upset at the thought of Sesame having been taken away. Sesame would spend most of his time out in the garden, before he would "toddle off to his little house" in the evening. While police have been informed, there was "very little they can do" without further evidence, Mrs Thatcher said. She is now offering a £500 reward to anyone who reunites her with her pet tortoise. Sesame, who Mrs Thatcher described as "quite a frisky male", damaged his shell last year and requires medication. "After having him, cared for him after all this time, now he's not going to be so well treated," Mrs Thatcher added. "He obviously isn't, because they don't know him. And that's what bothers me now is that, will he even survive?" A change in the law was introduced in England and Northern Ireland last year, meaning that anyone convicted of stealing a pet in those nations could face up to five years in prison - but it only extends to cat and dog abduction. Pet theft is a criminal offence in Wales but is not covered by the Pet Abduction Act introduced last year. "We're talking about a living thing here, not items," said Mrs Thatcher. "He's older than my youngest daughter. He's grown up with so many people, it's just wrong, it's cruel to take him away."
BBC News
28-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Mating tortoise returns home a year after vanishing
A woman is celebrating the return of her beloved pet tortoise nearly a year after she went Muirie, 50, who lives near Bredon, Gloucestershire, believes her pet, called Ginger, may have escaped to go in search of a new putting up signs around the area, she had almost given up hope after nearly a year without a single sighting. But almost 11 months later, Ginger was spotted by a horse rider behind the Mount Inn, in Stanton. Ms Muirie said: "[It's] a good mile from home, so she must have been hibernating in the area, and luckily someone remembered the poster and got in touch." The horse rider originally thought Ginger was a rock until he went past again and noticed a little head sticking Muirie said having owned Ginger for 40 years ago, the family knew how important it was to keep tortoises safe through hibernation and she could not believe Ginger would survive the winter alone."My brother made the missing posters and he got a call earlier this month to say they had found her. But he's in London so he called me and I said 'it can't be Ginger'.""Then I went to pick her up and I genuinely couldn't believe that she survived a year of the wild." She said since coming home, Ginger has been enjoying the sunshine and found herself a little area where she can sunbathe and eat her Muirie said her pet has been a big part of her family for the past four decades."To have a pet for 40 years, she could outlive me so it means a lot. We're very happy to have her back and it feels like a childhood memory has returned," she added.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- BBC News
'Our cat was lost - then next door's floor meowed'
Ms Cooper and her 83-year-old father had been in contact with the "lovely and supportive" neighbours throughout their hunt for Leia, and they got in touch to say they thought they could hear cat noises, as first reported by Kent Online. After cutting a hole in the new flooring, they found Leia looking back at them. It is thought the cat crawled under the floor unnoticed during renovation work at the house. "You can imagine what followed - we were beside ourselves," Ms Cooper said. They also found an open can of beer in the hole, and believe the cat survived on this or another unknown source of water. "It's a bit of a mystery," Ms Cooper said, "but perhaps she did drink that beer. She certainly seemed pretty dozy when I picked her up." Ms Cooper leafleted the area and hired a 'pet detective' to try to find the cat. She said the neighbours probably could not hear Leia until then as "there's been so much noise going on" from the works.
