A tortoise who escaped from its enclosure is back home after eluding a manhunt for 2½ months. Read story here.
Lynn Cole of Ashland, Tennessee, raised Solomon from a hatchling. The 15-year-old African spurred tortoise now weighs 150 lbs.
When he went missing, Cole put up wanted posters, distributed flyers, and posted his mugshot on social media. Dozens of people searched for him, but he eluded them all until a construction worker spotted him at a homesite a mile away.
Food wasn’t a problem; Solomon is a vegetarian, and can live on grass and flowers. However, his owner worried about finding him before cold weather sets in. He lives in a heated enclosure when not on the run (in a manner of speaking).
Judging from a similar incident in Illinois, he probably dug his way out of the medium-security facility. It seems African tortoises commonly are flight risks, because this happens a lot. See videos about other tortorial* escapees here and here and here. But that’s small potatoes; remember the cobra that got loose in a previously laid-back California suburban neighborhood?
* This isn’t a word; I made it up.
Photos: Top left, Solomon back in custody; bottom right, the Illinois apprehendee.