Sure seems to be a lot of lost or found tortoises in the news lately

[ascott]

I'm amazed by the tortoise escape artists, but also hope loving owners would do everything within their power to find their missing pet. The reason why I'm now a member of this forum is because I found my own wondering waif sulcata tortoise that no one has claimed. I found her in a recent snow storm, which could prove members right who said it may have something to do with not housing a tortoise in the winter. However, I believe that many of the "found" tortoises are found astray, because of impulse buys and far too many people these days seem to have the mentality that animals are objects to be traded or discarded after they cease to hold their interest. Based on the health and several physical characteristics of my tort, we're pretty sure she had never stepped out of an aquarium. I'm guessing was released because she had OUTGROWN her aquarium and was proving to have greater needs than the owner was prepared or willing to give. I recently went into my city's corporate petstore and was angry and annoyed to see tortoises on sale with a sign that said "lifespan 20+years" and that is ALL. There was no information on how to house them properly and dietary needs. I also don't feel "20+" years is entirely honest.

As long as our species continues to feel entitled to "owning" what we want...this will continue....in my opinion that is....

 

[Prairie Mom]

As long as our species continues to feel entitled to "owning" what we want...this will continue....in my opinion that is....

I guess that's true. I see the point you are making... as a species we definitely have an endlessly strong sense of entitlement, with an ever increasing ego. I just wish that the desire to "own" was accompanied by a greater sense of empathy for the needs and feelings of whatever forms of life we choose to bring under our care. I personally believe that the predicament so many stray animals are in these days says less about people's desire to own, and far more about our decline of COMMITMENT and even our ever shortening attention spans.

 

[ascott]

I guess that's true. I see the point you are making... as a species we definitely have an endlessly strong sense of entitlement, with an ever increasing ego. I just wish that the desire to "own" was accompanied by a greater sense of empathy for the needs and feelings of whatever forms of life we choose to bring under our care. I personally believe that the predicament so many stray animals are in these days says less about people's desire to own, and far more about our decline of COMMITMENT and even our ever shortening attention span.

These two things usually do not keep the company of one another.....

 

[JohnnyB65]

There are times that something just goes wrong...a gardner leaves gate open...someone props something against a wall/fence that is not normally there and the tort is an opportunist at every chance.....so many variables...even if we try to cover them all, sometimes something will still happen....I am happy to hear they have the tort back in their care....

Well I do know mine can be pretty fast when he wants to and I don't know how many times he has escaped when i was moving things around. Luckily he never made it outside the property.

I see a lot of YouTube videos of people making burrows without anything underneath to keep them from digging out. It always reminds me of when my brother-in-law saw something coming up out of the ground while visiting friends. He thought it was a ground squirrel or something while watching it dig up through and thought it was so odd that it was making such a huge hole. Then he was shocked when he saw the rest of it. It turned out to belong to the neighbors next door and it actually dug a hole from inside its own burrow under a fence into the yard.

 

[JohnnyB65]

Wow Not another one.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/l...Pound-Tortoise-Worth-Over-1000-279716682.html

 

[AmRoKo]

Well I do know mine can be pretty fast when he wants to and I don't know how many times he has escaped when i was moving things around. Luckily he never made it outside the property.

I see a lot of YouTube videos of people making burrows without anything underneath to keep them from digging out. It always reminds me of when my brother-in-law saw something coming up out of the ground while visiting friends. He thought it was a ground squirrel or something while watching it dig up through and thought it was so odd that it was making such a huge hole. Then he was shocked when he saw the rest of it. It turned out to belong to the neighbors next door and it actually dug a hole from inside its own burrow under a fence into the yard.

I can only imagine what was going through their minds when they saw a tortoise there LOL!