Missing 2 Sulcata Porterville ca

[Laura]

http://visalia.craigslist.org/pet/4013422480.html

Owner was sick, and in Hosp. comes home to find them missing.. had a pet sitter who swears gates were closed.. stolen??

 

[Yvonne G]

Yesterday I received a phone call from a volunteer at a rescue up in the foothills above Porterville letting me know about the two lost tortoises. Just so you all don't get excited about the bigger one's shell, he was stepped on by a horse when he was just a baby and that's why he looks deformed.

 

[luvpetz27]

Yesterday I received a phone call from a volunteer at a rescue up in the foothills above Porterville letting me know about the two lost tortoises. Just so you all don't get excited about the bigger one's shell, he was stepped on by a horse when he was just a baby and that's why he looks deformed.

Do you think these are his lost ones? That would be great!!

 

[Yvonne G]

You misunderstand. The rescue were advising me of the lost tortoises so I could keep my eye out for them.

 

[Jtort]

I saw an ad for a tortoise with a weird shell. Now that I think about it could be a horse foot print. Let me try to search and post pictures.

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Could this be one of them?

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Update: I've contacted the owner of the missing torts and looks like the one in the picture I posted is one of the missing ones. There's a second ad for a smaller one that I've sent to them as well, but they would have to see it in person to be able to know for sure if that's the second one. Thanks Laura for posting this. I hope the owner is able to get their torts back.

 

[Yvonne G]

Looks like we might have a happy ending. I wonder how they made it all the way to SoCal...maybe they were stolen after all.

 

[Kirin]

Here is the ad
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/grd/3998232456.html

 

[Tom]

Am I following this correctly? These torts were stolen or lost in Porterville, and now someone in Hemet is attempting to sell them as their own?

 

[Jtort]

Appear like it Tom. The ad says they've had him for 7 years. Yet it's the same tort with a horse footprint on his shell. If they're saying they've had him for 7 years then I believe he was indeed stolen.

 

[Yvonne G]

No...I'm not seeing the same tortoise in the two pictures. The original "lost" ad shows a much bigger deformity on the carapace, and that tortoise is quite a bit heavier than the Hemet tortoise.

 

[miccodan]

Wow, I am shocked by this story. My recommendation would be to contact the thieves in regards to purchasing it as well as contacting the local police their and informing them of your lost tortoise and evidence that leads you to believe it was them. With such a distinguishing mark on its back, if you were able to produce any pictures of the tortoise when it was in your care I am sure the police would have no issues nabbing them.

 

[Jtort]

Yvonne, I only see one picture of both tortoises in the lost ad linked here. I sent a picture of the tort for sale to the owner of the lost torts and they said it is theirs. They are not sure about the second ad for the second tort for sale. I think with the different angles of the pictures, it's hard for us to gauge the size of the deformity, but with a mark like that I don't think the owner would mis recognize it. I hope they're able to get him back if it is their tort. It's quite a ways from them though at least a 4 hour drive....

 

[mike taylor]

I hope they get there babies back and put the person that took them under the jail .

Sent from my C771 using TortForum mobile app

 

[luvpetz27]

You misunderstand. The rescue were advising me of the lost tortoises so I could keep my eye out for them.

Oh ok......darn it!! What a terrible thing to happen!

 

[Laura]

that is Not the same tortoise.. I think they are just hoping.. but the shells are totally different shape..

 

[Laura]

there is a post on Tortoise home facebook page that the smaller one was returned but they wanted money for the big one???!
update? those two pics did not look the same.. maybe something else? It says they will be n the news..

 

[Laura]

any updates?

 

[TheTortoiseWhisperer]

I can't imagine that there are two large sulcata's with a hoof print on their shells. I think it's the same tort and the pictures were taken from different angles and distance

 

[thatrebecca]

This news story doesn't clarify much -- except that the smaller tortoise has been returned and the larger one is still missing.

http://www.kmph.com/story/23235852/missing-a-150-pound-tortoise-is-stolen-in-porterville

 

[Laura]

eats 150 pounds of food per day?!!? dang media....