jwang
New Member
Hi, all,
I'm a longtime lurker and owner of a 9yo sulcata tortoise, Strawberry. I'm involved in tortoise drama, somehow. Strawberry got out of our yard a week ago, and a few days ago, a woman in my town posted on Facebook saying that she had found a tortoise. The picture she posted looks just like Strawberry, in my opinion. She refuses to let me see her, however, arguing that there's "no way" a tortoise could walk a mile away from my home, which is where she found her. Her only source seems to be Google, as far as I can tell, but she's certain that the owner must live on her block, and no amount of info I send her will convince her otherwise. On Facebook, other sulcata tortoise owners chimed in to say that they absolutely can show up a mile away, but she has ignored all of us. I would love the opportunity to just see the tortoise in person and decide for myself, but she says no. It's...just really weird, to be honest. I feel like the normal thing to do when you find a lost pet is...let people who have lost a pet come see if the one you have is theirs? I told her the pics look like Strawberry, but all she said was, "they all look the same".
A police officer went over to her house today and said that he couldn't tell whether Strawberry was the same tortoise as the one the woman has or not, and so there was no way to prove that she was or wasn't. (All I have is photos; she doesn't have a tag.) I would love any opinions you have. Am I right/wrong? If right, what can I do? Is there any expert I could talk to who might have some more sway than me? Do you see identifying marks that a lay police officer might be persuaded by?
Thanks so much.
Here are some pics of the tortoise she has:
And here are a few of Strawberry:
I'm a longtime lurker and owner of a 9yo sulcata tortoise, Strawberry. I'm involved in tortoise drama, somehow. Strawberry got out of our yard a week ago, and a few days ago, a woman in my town posted on Facebook saying that she had found a tortoise. The picture she posted looks just like Strawberry, in my opinion. She refuses to let me see her, however, arguing that there's "no way" a tortoise could walk a mile away from my home, which is where she found her. Her only source seems to be Google, as far as I can tell, but she's certain that the owner must live on her block, and no amount of info I send her will convince her otherwise. On Facebook, other sulcata tortoise owners chimed in to say that they absolutely can show up a mile away, but she has ignored all of us. I would love the opportunity to just see the tortoise in person and decide for myself, but she says no. It's...just really weird, to be honest. I feel like the normal thing to do when you find a lost pet is...let people who have lost a pet come see if the one you have is theirs? I told her the pics look like Strawberry, but all she said was, "they all look the same".
A police officer went over to her house today and said that he couldn't tell whether Strawberry was the same tortoise as the one the woman has or not, and so there was no way to prove that she was or wasn't. (All I have is photos; she doesn't have a tag.) I would love any opinions you have. Am I right/wrong? If right, what can I do? Is there any expert I could talk to who might have some more sway than me? Do you see identifying marks that a lay police officer might be persuaded by?
Thanks so much.
Here are some pics of the tortoise she has:
And here are a few of Strawberry:
