Thieves make a quick getaway with pet tortoise
ZOO STAFF ASK FOR RETURN OF TERRY
FURIOUS zoo-keepers are pleading for the safe return of a young tortoise after he was stolen from his pen.
Terry is one of several tortoises kept at Playdale Farm petting zoo at Cayton near Filey after they were donated by a gentleman six years ago whose wife became seriously ill and was no longer able to look after them.
But staff at the farm noticed one of the creatures was missing during feeding time on Saturday, raising the alarm.
Playdale owner Jackie Wilson said the 4ft enclosures made it “impossible” for tortoises, famously slow creatures which are unable to jump heights, to escape, and that the only possible reason for Terry’s disappearance would be that he’d been taken.
She said: “Whoever it is will have had to climb into the pen while someone stood on the corner to keep watch.”
Jackie fears whoever has taken Terry will not know how to look after a tortoise, potentially putting the creature estimated to be aged around eight to ten years old, at risk.
Playdale is now pleading that the thief “do the right thing” and hand him back, even if done anonymously.
The theft was not the first time one of Playdale’s tortoises had been stolen, Jackie added.
Around four years ago, one of Terry’s friends was also taken before being handed into vets in Brigg with a sign saying he had been stolen from the Yorkshire coast farm.
The phone number taken from the man who handed the tortoise turned out to be fake, raising suspicions.
Jackie said: “This is disappointing tofind that the same thing has happened again. Terry was given to us along with three of our other tortoises by a gentleman whose wife was very poorly.
“We very much feel as though they are still theirs, they were very much loved by this couple but they just couldn’t look after them anymore.
“We’ve been entrusted with these creatures and then this happens - we just feel we’ve let them down.”
She added: “People by all means should be able to see these animals and enjoy them, but we shouldn’t have to bolt them down in case somebody steals them.”
Tortoises are lifelong pets due to their impressive lifespan of around 80 years, with many known to outlive the average human life expectancy.
They are also incredibly vulnerable creatures due to their size and slow nature, and may be a target for some predators in the wild.
“We don’t care who has taken him - we just want him back,” said Jackie.
Anybody who knows who may have taken Terry is asked to urge them to return him safely, either to Playdale or to a veterinary centre.
Similarly, anyone who finds Terry abandoned should call the RSPCA.