Latest news with #tortoise
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Tortoise who escaped to find a mate nearly a year ago at a speed of 0.13mph is found... just ONE mile away
A tortoise who escaped 11 months ago to find a mate at a speed of 0.13mph has been found just one mile away from home. Ginger dug under a garden fence before making a slow getaway across countryside fields in the quest for love, following the death of her longtime companion Fred. She was eventually found behind a pub by a horse rider last week in Stanton, Gloucestershire. Sarah-Jane Muirie, 51, is now celebrating the unexpected return of her beloved pet who she has owned since she was a 10-year-old girl. Devastated by Ginger's disappearance last June, the mother-of-one had initially put up signs around the area but said that she had given up hope after nearly a year without a single sighting. Fearing that she would 'never see' the reptile again after she vanished, Ms Muirie, of Bredon, Worcestershire, said: 'We had another tortoise called Fred who we lost a couple of years ago and a vet friend of mine believes she went looking for a mate. 'It's that time of the year and she's always had Fred so she's dug herself out under the garden fence and through next doors before getting into some fields. 'She is that well camouflaged we thought there's no chance we would ever find her but we put up missing posters anyway.' Almost 11 months after Ginger disappeared, Ms Muirie got the call she was never expecting - a horse rider had discovered the small tortoise behind the Mount Inn pub, just a mile away from home. Initially, given her natural camoflauge, Ginger had been mistaken for a rock. However, after returning to the scene, the horse rider then noticed both a head and legs. Ms Muirie, who believes that her beloved pet was likely in hibernation for at least part of her disappearance, said: 'Amazingly, somebody remembered the posters we put up nearly a year ago and we then got the call. 'At first I thought it couldn't be Ginger but then realised there's probably not too many people around here with tortoises. 'It was amazing to get her back because we thought there was no chance she would survive the winter out there alone.' I genuinely couldn't believe that she survived a year of the wild.' Since being reunited with her family, Ginger has been enjoying the warm weather, finding herself a secluded area where she can sunbathe and eat food. Describing her tortoise's return as 'like a childhood dream come true', Ms Muirie added: 'To have a pet for 40 years, she could outlive me so it means a lot. We're very happy to have her back.' At the end of April, a family in Ulverston, Cumbria, were overjoyed when their tortoise Leonardo, who had been missing for nine months, was discovered a mile away from home. The reptile was found shuffling down a street and was taken to a pet shop, Little Beasties, where staff helped to find its owner, Rachel Etches. Speaking to the BBC, Ms Etches said: 'It was totally my fault; we were out in the garden, we'd just had our second child, I got a bit distracted and he just wandered off out of our sight. 'He's led a very comfortable life for 13 years under a heat lamp in my house, so we didn't think he was going to survive the winter being out for the first time.' She believed that Leonardo may have hibernated for winter and woke up when the weather started to improve. There are an estimated 700,000 tortoises and turtles currently being kept as pets across the UK, with an average of 1.6 per cent of households owning one.
Telegraph
a day ago
- General
- Telegraph
Tortoise which escaped to find love 11 months ago is found a mile away
A tortoise which escaped to find a mate 11 months ago at an average speed of 0.13mph has been found just a mile away. Ginger dug under a garden fence before making a slow getaway across countryside fields looking for love following the death of long-time companion Fred. She was finally found behind a pub by a horse rider last week in Stanton, Gloucestershire. Sarah-Jane Muirie, 51, who has owned the animal for about 40 years, is now celebrating her pet's return. The mother of one had put up signs around the area following Ginger's disappearance in June last year, but said she'd given up hope after nearly a year without a single sighting. Ms Muirie, who lives near Bredon, Worcestershire, said: 'We've had Ginger since I was a 10-year-old girl and when she escaped, I thought I would never see her again. 'We had another tortoise called Fred who we lost a couple of years ago and a vet friend of mine believes she went looking for a mate. 'It's that time of the year and she's always had Fred so she's dug herself out under the garden fence and through next door's before getting into some fields. 'She is that well camouflaged we thought there's no chance we would ever find her but we put up missing posters anyway. 'We think from June to October she's got as far as she could before hibernating when the weather got cold. 'She must have only recently come out of hibernation as the better weather came along. 'A woman in the village from Greece first spotted her but thought nothing of it as they are native to Greece. 'But obviously it's an unusual thing to see in the UK and it was a horse rider who spotted her the following day.' Ginger was discovered behind the Mount Inn pub, a good mile away from her home. Ms Muirie added: 'They thought it was a rock at first but then noticed this rock had a head and legs and rescued him. 'Amazingly, somebody remembered the posters we put up nearly a year ago and we then got the call. 'At first I thought it couldn't be Ginger but then realised there's probably not too many people around here with tortoises. 'It was amazing to get her back because we thought there was no chance she would survive the winter out there alone.' '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.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Man arrested over Liverpool parade crash to appear in court
world politics 21 minutes ago United Kingdom correspondent Alice Wilkins spoke to Lisa Owen about how the man arrested over the Liverpool parade crash is due to appear in court, how packets of Haribo lollies are being recalled in the Netherlands after traces of cannabis were found and how a Welsh woman is offering a $1000 reward for the safe return of her pet tortoise.
Sky News
4 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
5 days ago
- 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.
