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MID SUSSEX TIMES (UK) 09 May 06 Tortoise Toby's Safe After Going On Walkabout
Toby, a spam-eating tortoise with wanderlust, has been found safe and well after going on a big adventure down a busy road.
49-year-old Toby, who is middle aged by anyone's standards, belongs to the Ellett family who live off Cuckfield Road, Ansty, and when a visitor left the front gate open last week Toby couldn't resist venturing out into the big, wide world.
For two days three generations of the Ellett family scoured the countryside for him but to no avail, then Doreen Ellett, who gave Toby as a present to her son Graham on his sixth birthday back in 1958, found him with a neighbour.
A kind-hearted motorist had spotted Toby in the road, picked him up and saved him from a terrible fate.
"The motorist handed him in," explained Doreen. "We were getting very worried. We've had Toby for such a long time and we were so relieved to have him back. I like to hand feed him you know. He likes lettuce and peaches but dandelion leaves are his favourite."
Doreen's younger son Michael added: "He used to like Spam for a while but we found out it was bad for him so he doesn't have it anymore.
"Everyone thinks tortoises are slow but Toby can motor pretty fast when he wants to. He was found 500 yards away. He's a proper escapologist and has escaped once or twice before so we've put a spring on the gate to stop it happening again."
Graham added: "When Toby was given to me as a birthday present all those years ago he was only the size of a 50p piece. Now he's big - about eight inches long and seven inches wide. My eight-year-old son Thomas helps to look after him and he was very upset when he went missing."
If you were the motorist who rescued Toby call Dianne Jones at the Mid Sussex Times on (01444) 419582.
Tortoise Toby's Safe After Going On Walkabout

...but i think it bears saying again!

thank you so much for posting these wonderful news stories. the sadder ones help raise awareness of important issues, and the happy ones like this one bring a smile to my face.