THE TELEGRAPH (London, UK) 22 May 10 Lock up your tortoises – and watch them with CCTV (Rebecca Lefort)
Stolen tortoises can fetch up to £6,000 on the black market after strict environmental laws protecting the species made them harder to buy legally.
Most thefts occur in summer when the creatures are roaming in gardens. John Hayward, who runs the National Theft Register for stolen animals, dealt with 44 cases last year, up from 29 the year before.
He said: "Many people do not even consider they would need to take these actions, but they make a massive difference.
"Most people who simply love their own animal do not realise that tortoises are targeted by thieves. But the CCTV and infrared will stop people trespassing, and the picture and microchipping will help us track them down.
"People can't hide these animals forever. If they have been smuggled to Australia then that's hard for us, but if they stay in the UK we often can find them.
"The majority of thefts happen during the summer, when lots of people put their tortoises outside after the cold winter, so we really need people to take action now."
Mr Hayward works with police to investigate a variety of rare animal thefts, and also helps owners whose tortoises go missing. In 2009 he dealt with 44 cases of tortoises thought to be stolen, up from 29 in 2008. Many of the cases involved more than one animal being taken, sometimes as many as 30.
The rise in criminal activity has been linked to a change which has seen some tortoises given greater protection as endangered animals by the UN. Last year the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs's Wildlife Crime Unit made tortoises one of its priorities.
If they are bigger than 10cm in length tortoises must be microchipped, and cannot be sold without proof that they were bred in captivity.
The heightened protection means some are now worth up to £6,000, such as 7st giant African tortoise Zeus who was stolen from a sanctuary in St Austell last year.
He was eventually tracked down after he was sold to an unsuspecting new owner who later responded to appeals from his safe return. Zeus's abductor was given a 10-week suspended sentence and told to complete 80 hours of community service.
Audrey Smith's tortoise, Tim, was stolen from her home in Minster in Kent in April.
She had bought the 13-year-old horsefield variety for £175 about six years ago and he was much loved by the whole family, particularly her five grandchildren.
"I just didn't think that anyone would possibly want to steal him," said the 52-year-old.
"We've contacted the police and RSPCA but we can't find him. It's like we've lost one of the family. I loved watching him and looking after him.
"The vets said there has been a rise in thefts of tortoises. It's really upsetting."
Lock up your tortoises – and watch them with CCTV

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