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REGISTER-GUARD (Eugene, Oregon) 11 June 05 Roving Reptile Returns! (Mark Baker)
Pleasant Hill: Oh, Trudlo, we knew you couldn't go too far.
Susan Musolino's 50-year-old African leopard-spotted tortoise, missing since May 27, was found Friday in a thicket of trees near the Willamette River, about 2 miles east of Musolino's home here, by Katlyn Pickett of Springfield.
"It's unbelievable!" said Musolino. Pickett, 17, who graduated from home school Thursday, read about Trudlo, and Musolino's plea to help search for him, in the newspaper. Now, she's $520 (the $500 reward plus tip) richer. At least, she was. Pickett gave $80 to family friend Eric Burton, 14, who joined the search party with Pickett's mother, Tracey Pickett, and her brother, Thomas, 15, who will also get part of the reward.
"She's negotiating with her brother," Tracey Pickett said.
The four searched for about 3 1/2 hours before Katlyn Pickett saw him. "He kind of looked at me and stuck his tongue out and then put his head back (inside of his shell)," she said. "I was so excited - it was great."
Musolino received several calls Thursday and about 10 people came out to look, but with no luck. Then the Pickett clan showed up Friday morning with "hats and gloves and sticks," Musolino said, and a determined Tracey Pickett looked into her eyes and said: "We're going to find that turtle."
When he got home, Trudlo ate a meal of corn, soybeans and peas, "like it was Thanksgiving," Musolino said.
Then he parked himself by a heat lamp and stretched out his legs.
Whether he'll ever see the outdoors again is another matter, though.
"He might be an inside turtle from now on," Musolino said.
Roving Reptile Returns!

glad they found him -- thanks for the news link, as always!