A seagull picked up my tortoise

Melissa101

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As the title says... My two babies were in the garden, and I went inside for a moment. I come out and Harry is gone. My husband comes out to help me look, and we see a seagull fly over us with something very large in his beak.

I'm absolutely heartbroken. Please don't tell me it's my fault for not being there because I completely know it's my fault, and will feel guilty about this for the rest of my life.

I wanted to come here to warn others: please don't leave your tortoises outside for even a second unless they are in a secure enclosure with a lid. I thought my torts were too big to be picked up by anything, but clearly I was wrong. I just hope whatever happened was quick.

Sorry, you all probably knew not to do that anyway, but maybe this story will help someone as dumb as me not to lose a tortoise. I'd had Harry for over 10 years, and now it feels like part of me is gone too.
 

christinaland128

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So frightening! I leave mine unattended for up to ten minutes because their enclosure is secure but jeez! How big was he if you don't mind my asking? That's why I avoided letting mine outside until I thought they were big enough. But I think they're too small still. :(
 

Melissa101

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About as big as my hand, and pretty heavy. Still small, but I never would've thought a seagull would be able to manage him. It was so unexpected.
 

wellington

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OMG, I am so very sorry. It's not your fault, who would have thought this for the size your tort sounds. I would suggest though, to go looking around the area you seen the seagull flying. Sometimes they drop them, as they are too big to carry too far and with some luck, you will find your tort and if it was a soft enough landing, you never know.
Again, so sorry that's not something you want to see.
 

Melissa101

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Thanks guys, yeah we had a walk around and couldn't find him, but I'll keep looking. I've posted a message on my town FB page so hopefully that'll have more people looking too. We live near some woods, which I had a look around too, but obviously almost impossible to see him in there.
 

dmmj

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seagulls eat baby sea turtles when they hatch hatch if your toilet was larger with a hard shell didn't what it normally would eat the seagull may not have known how to eat it. So there's still a slim chance it'll I don't hope too much but it couldn't hurt to look may put up some posters let people know that your tortoise is gone
 

Yvonne G

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Birds drop them hoping to break them open, but quite a few little tortoises find themselves in new neighborhoods because they were dropped by birds and lived to tell the tale. Go all around for several blocks and put up fliers on utility poles.
 

Gillian M

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So frightening! I leave mine unattended for up to ten minutes because their enclosure is secure but jeez! How big was he if you don't mind my asking? That's why I avoided letting mine outside until I thought they were big enough. But I think they're too small still. :(
You'd better take care.
 

Gillian M

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As the title says... My two babies were in the garden, and I went inside for a moment. I come out and Harry is gone. My husband comes out to help me look, and we see a seagull fly over us with something very large in his beak.

I'm absolutely heartbroken. Please don't tell me it's my fault for not being there because I completely know it's my fault, and will feel guilty about this for the rest of my life.

I wanted to come here to warn others: please don't leave your tortoises outside for even a second unless they are in a secure enclosure with a lid. I thought my torts were too big to be picked up by anything, but clearly I was wrong. I just hope whatever happened was quick.

Sorry, you all probably knew not to do that anyway, but maybe this story will help someone as dumb as me not to lose a tortoise. I'd had Harry for over 10 years, and now it feels like part of me is gone too.
Very sorry to have heard such a heartbreaking story.

No, it was NOT your fault: after all we are human beings and we all make mistakes. Try to relax, though I do know how hard it is after such a shock. You never know, you might find him, and good luck. Please keep us updated.
 

RedFootedLove

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that is horrible like everyone is saying it is definitley not your fault none of us here would of thought a SEAGULL could pick up a tort just keep your head up and keep an eye out i highly doubt a seagull could swallow a tortoise
 

Gillian M

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As the title says... My two babies were in the garden, and I went inside for a moment. I come out and Harry is gone. My husband comes out to help me look, and we see a seagull fly over us with something very large in his beak.

I'm absolutely heartbroken. Please don't tell me it's my fault for not being there because I completely know it's my fault, and will feel guilty about this for the rest of my life.

I wanted to come here to warn others: please don't leave your tortoises outside for even a second unless they are in a secure enclosure with a lid. I thought my torts were too big to be picked up by anything, but clearly I was wrong. I just hope whatever happened was quick.

Sorry, you all probably knew not to do that anyway, but maybe this story will help someone as dumb as me not to lose a tortoise. I'd had Harry for over 10 years, and now it feels like part of me is gone too.
I take Oli out for walks whenever the weather permits. I literally walk beside him so as NOT to allow any person/animal touch him. approach him,hurt him etc. You can imagine the patience needed here. I have read a lot about torts being stolen, harmed and hurt, poor creatures-they really are helpless.
 

dmmj

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hate to ask havesteps been taken to prevent this from happening again
 

Lyn W

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So sorry that this has happened, I do hope you find him.
 

Melissa101

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Oh absolutely, they have an outdoor enclosure with a lid, I just allowed them out of it in order for them to have even more space to roam around in (because the garden is so secure). Now, however, I will not let my other tort out of the enclosure unless I'm literally inches away from him. I'd never seen gulls anywhere near our garden before, but I certainly won't risk anything like this happening again.
 

Melissa101

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Sorry, that last post was meant to be a reply to dmmj! Thanks Lyn for your kind words.
 

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