LACROSSE TRIBUNE (Wisconsin) 25 September 09 Wayward reptile given ride was actually right at home (Betsy Bloom)

Holmen - Shelly isn't the typical runaway pet.

For starters, he's a tortoise - not exactly known for making fast getaways or covering vast distances.

Yet Shelly managed to go far astray Saturday, with some unwitting help: He wandered out from his rural Holmen home to Hwy. W, where a passing motorist took pity on what he thought was a misguided turtle - honest mistake - and toted the 30-pound wayward pet to a friend's pond miles away.

Even though owner Linda Loper has tried to track her beloved tortoise, he's five days missing now and she fears this native of sub-Sahara Africa will perish if not found before the weather takes a turn.

She and her husband daily have combed the Sweden Coulee area along Hwy. M where Shelly was set loose, sloshed in waders through Halfway Creek, knocked on doors and posted flyers everywhere.

"This is just way out of the realm of being lost," Loper said Wednesday.

The tale of the roaming tortoise began late Saturday morning, after Loper let Shelly out of the garage to graze in the yard while she worked on a project. When she went to fetch her pet, he'd vanished.

Her flyers drew a call Monday night - someone had come across Shelly near the junction of Hwy. W and M. The driver was headed for a party at a Sweden Coulee property with several ponds, so decided to give the "turtle" a lift.

At least he didn't actually drop Shelly in the water, Loper said. "I don't even know if he can swim."

But it did allow Shelly more than two days to further work his way into the countryside. Though 18 inches across, with a domed shell like a combat helmet, he's still not big enough to be easily seen in high vegetation, Loper said.

And time is growing short - the African sulcada, or spurred, tortoise usually takes refuge under the heat lamp when temperatures drop below 60 degrees, Loper said.

It's not the first time Shelly has gone walkabout. The flyers Loper posted are leftovers from May 2005 - he ended up that time in a neighbor's garage.

He has become a local celebrity of sorts since then, with appearances at the Leon Gatorfest in Monroe County and other area events. Kids love him, Loper said.

"They're just so unique and real gentle," Loper said.

She doesn't know how she's going to break the news to her two grandchildren if Shelly doesn't turn up. She's hoping he'll again creep into someone's garage, a place he associates with home, warmth and security.

He's only about 18, young for a tortoise, "so he's got a long life ahead of him if we can save him."
Wayward reptile given ride was actually right at home

[ Show Entire Thread ]