Sulcata sightings in Central Florida?

[jaizei]

I have no dog in this fight, but it seems to me that it could not hurt to email eric some pictures and go from there. You don't have to tell him where you are or anything like that. Just a thought

Why don't you send pictures of your found tortoise to another member here on the forum, and they can tell you if it matches the description of his stolen tortoises?

How do we know your just not showing pictures because you want to keep it? lol.

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I just saw your post. Like I said. I don't trust him. And I know a little more than I'm letting on. I wouldn't keep some one else's pet or even keep one of their breeding tools because I don't keep things that don't belong to me when the owner is known but that doesn't mean I am going to hand over anything to some one with a bad story.

"can be easily identified" I do believe I stated that.

Sorry - But isn't that what your are doing??!!?

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There's always this reason:

So I am just supposed to believe that your tortoise was stolen and brought out to my area and then escaped. You gave a description of the tortoise you lost and it does not fit the one I have.

If a Tortoise can be stolen then some one can be looking for a free one. Just because you say you are not looking for a free tortoise doesn't mean anything to me.

We found a tortoise days before I joined this site and I anounced it over a week before you tried to get me to email you.

You said you were trying to put the word out on the 28th. Why not before then? No posts on this site. No ads under lost and found in craigs list for 2 seprate counties I looked in. So when you say you are not looking for a free tortoise then I have my doubts.

AND, like I said it doesn't fit the description you gave. Is there even a Police report or anything. No pictures. Who doesn't take pictures of there new giant tortoise.

I said this tortoise could be easily identified. You didn't identify it. Don't be mad at me because I am not stupid enough to show you a picture so you can say "ya. thats it"

We looked for the owner. If I actually thought you were the owner I would give it to you. I don't believe you. Thats all.

boutselis, stand strong. You seem to be trying to do the right thing. This does seem to be a little strange:
Expensive tortoises stolen
No pictures
No police report
Description that could describe any female that's been bred


I don't know Eric, so I'm not saying he's doing this to get something for free, but how well could he have known this tortoise if he just got it? He probably saw that someone found a large sulcata and wishful thinking got the best of him.

Serious doubts as in how? You've found a Tortoise that didn't belong to you, and the time line coincides with everything that has happened. Let's see pictures of the Tortoise in question. I'll see if I can get pictures from the previous owner. I still have the Male that she was paired up with for him, and they both fit together like Legos. Even if this isn't the Female I believe it may be, there are still other animals it may be.......

How about I keep throwing out descriptions till one sticks.

 

[rbianco]

Honestly I agree that the story of ten grand worth of breeding stock comes up missing and no police report is filed, is very unlikely. Anyone and everyone who had that much of an investment in something is going to file a police report, if not just for getting back the property, but for insurance and for tax purposes. Unless he's doing something illegal. Then I can see why he's trying to be secretive because he doesn't want to get caught. It just doesn't make any sense to act this way towards another community member like this. We are all here for the same reason. We love thee animals and we want to give them the best possible life and share that with on another. All this is doing is dividing everyone into hostile groups. Figure it out already. Both of you need to file a police report. Whenever I find something that doesn't belong to me I report it. If I loose something its the same thing. Im hoping for a positive outcome.

 

[EricIvins]

So I am just supposed to believe that your tortoise was stolen and brought out to my area and then escaped. You gave a description of the tortoise you lost and it does not fit the one I have.

If a Tortoise can be stolen then some one can be looking for a free one. Just because you say you are not looking for a free tortoise doesn't mean anything to me.

We found a tortoise days before I joined this site and I anounced it over a week before you tried to get me to email you.

You said you were trying to put the word out on the 28th. Why not before then? No posts on this site. No ads under lost and found in craigs list for 2 seprate counties I looked in. So when you say you are not looking for a free tortoise then I have my doubts.

AND, like I said it doesn't fit the description you gave. Is there even a Police report or anything. No pictures. Who doesn't take pictures of there new giant tortoise.

I said this tortoise could be easily identified. You didn't identify it. Don't be mad at me because I am not stupid enough to show you a picture so you can say "ya. thats it"

We looked for the owner. If I actually thought you were the owner I would give it to you. I don't believe you. Thats all.

You do realize I have both a Personal life and a Business I have to keep afloat so some aspects of this site I have to ignore untill I actually have the time to sit down and read the forums........

I'm not going to run to Craigslist or any of the local classifieds declaring I had Tortoises taken just because they stick out like a sore thumb in the landscape......That encourages people to start looking and prying, of which I don't need.......Adult Sulcatas sell for $600-$1000 each around here, so it is a quick way to get easy money.......Do you really think I'm going to broadcast that out to the 2 counties I'm close to? The people that are in the Trade that I know, who may be likely to come across these animals, know about it......They don't know the complete details just incase they decide to get greedy......I wouldn't put it past a few of them.......

There will be a Police Report filed hopefully Monday.......I don't know how well it will be followed up on, since they are only "Tortoises".......The value may be high enough for it to peak their interest......

Who doesn't take pictures of their Tortoises? I would assume the people who have large collections rather than a few animals......Once this whole thing blows over, all my Tortoises will be eventually cataloged........I'm only one person, and my free time gets really short starting in August......

Eric, if I were you, I would contact the sheriff.It seems to me that they might have better luck talking to the finder. If that is indeed your female, then it's stolen property. Receiving stolen property,at least in my state, is a crime. If you find a bag of money, you just can't keep it.

This would be one for Palm Bay PD, though it may branch out into the Sherriffs office if it animals end up out of their jursidiction.......

I didn't receive stolen property. I have really good reason to believe eric is lying. Even if it was stolen, which it isn't, doesn't mean it belongs to anyone who wants to claim it.

If I found a bag of money and advertised '$5000 found. who lost it" I bet I would get plenty of people telling me it was theirs.

Like I said. He described what he lost and this wasn't it. If a police report turns up it will be one made after my post to be sure. If he lost a number of expensive tortoises he would have called the police. If he even had a report filed I would be a little more forth coming.

No picture or evidence of any kind. He doesn't even know what area I live in other than east coast central florida. You know how big that is?

I don't care if any one believes me. I have numerous reasons why I don't believe him. Any one who doesn't think this is all just to convenient of a story just isn't thinking. And you don't even know what I know.

That reason would be? I don't even know you, so do you know me somehow?

Police really don't handle animal situations really well.......They really don't have the knowledge to......Humans yes, Tortoises no......Though the stolen property laws are the same........

What do you know that I "don't"?

All I know is that there is only one person in the state of Florida, who I know positively does not own that tortoise, and that's you.

And how does that help exactly?
Because we found a tortoise walking around loose and could not find the owner it must belong to any person who couldn't describe it?

Like I said. If I thought it was even possibly his I would give it to him.

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I have no dog in this fight, but it seems to me that it could not hurt to email eric some pictures and go from there. You don't have to tell him where you are or anything like that. Just a thought

I just saw your post. Like I said. I don't trust him. And I know a little more than I'm letting on. I wouldn't keep some one else's pet or even keep one of their breeding tools because I don't keep things that don't belong to me when the owner is known but that doesn't mean I am going to hand over anything to some one with a bad story.

"can be easily identified" I do believe I stated that.

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You should have taken it to Animal Control, who would have placed the animal, then I could of gone to them with all my information.......A phone call was made, but no Tortoises had been brought in recently that would be in the size range these animals were. They usually get a couple Tortoise calls a month, but they either wind up being Gopher Tortoises or small Sulcatas.......

Again, what are you not letting on to?

The first thing that should always be done is file a police report, for many reasons.

Yep....I just have my doubts.....

The first thing that should always be done is file a police report, for many reasons.

I know If I had "Some adult sulcata's" stolen, even if "I really don't want to get into the specifics of how many, or the exact location" then I would file a police report. You just can't have people walking into your back yard and walking away with numerous heavy creatures without doing anything. I really wish one had been filed.

Somebody didn't just "walk" in......

There is a photo available. I linked to a post containing it.

It would be nice if everyone could grow up and there wasn't such cloak-and-dagger nonsense.

There is no risk in saying how many tortoises were lost. A bit more information from all potential parties could be shared to help figure this out. Instead, there's a ton of withholding when the only thing that would really need to be held back would be specific home/facility addresses.

There is "risk" in giving too much information......The Herp community is fairly small around here......Knowing numbers and values just encourages theft......Ask anyone whos had animals lifted from their collections......As much as I wish I can be around 24/7, I really can't......There is information that the whole world doesn't need to know, and being on the Internet, the whole world can know......I don't want that, and that is my perogative to hold that information back......

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Honestly I agree that the story of ten grand worth of breeding stock comes up missing and no police report is filed, is very unlikely. Anyone and everyone who had that much of an investment in something is going to file a police report, if not just for getting back the property, but for insurance and for tax purposes. Unless he's doing something illegal. Then I can see why he's trying to be secretive because he doesn't want to get caught. It just doesn't make any sense to act this way towards another community member like this. We are all here for the same reason. We love thee animals and we want to give them the best possible life and share that with on another. All this is doing is dividing everyone into hostile groups. Figure it out already. Both of you need to file a police report. Whenever I find something that doesn't belong to me I report it. If I loose something its the same thing. Im hoping for a positive outcome.

I'm doing nothing Illegal - I have the Permits to do what I'm doing......

Insurance? You really think any type of Insurance will cover Reptile theft? Been there done that - Only Loyds of London will even remotely make a policy, and the stipulations and cost doesn't justify it........When you build a collection, it's all on you to keep it protected......

I'm trying to figure it out, and so far nothing has been done yet......

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[boutselis]

Erics last post was to long to quote. He says he will file a police report on monday. Like I predicted a report will be filed with a date after my first post. And as for the
"You do realize I have both a Personal life and a Business I have to keep afloat so some aspects of this site I have to ignore untill I actually have the time to sit down and read the forums........"

Read more: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/newreply.php?tid=30344#ixzz1TgzcynSI

thousands of dollars in stolen tortoises and he is just to busy to look on a forum or file a police report.

I am supposed to believe this?

He doesn't want to discuss how many were stolen for what reason?

And I am supposed to believe this?

When I find the owner I will hand over the tortoise. It isn't Eric.

And when I said he doesn't even know what area I live in I was referring to Eric PMing me (the details of which he posted) and saying he had tortoises stolen and he is in my area. I suppose the whole state of Florida could be his and my area but thats a funny way of wording it. Even east coast central florida is pretty damn big.

Last time. Who the heck has "A number of adult Sulcata's" stolen which are probably worth $1000's and waits weeks to file a report.

And I still know more than I am telling.

 

[rbianco]

Again waiting to report just looks suspicious. Quit waiting. You act like this is guy is trying to steal from you. He found the tort on the side of the road and is front to do what he's sees as best for it. His intentions seem good enough. However he also needs to stop sitting on his hands and file a report. Also im sorry but a 10,000 investment in something should be insured. That's just absurd that you feel its insignificant to insure them.

 

[Yvonne G]

I think its time for the two people involved in this discussion to take it to the PM part of the forum. It is getting to be too heated and sooner or later someone is going to break a rule and have to be warned or even banned.

The rest of us will keep on the look-out for adult sulcatas that come up in rescues or for sale. That should be our only involvement. We are not taking sides.

I hope it all turns out alright.

 

[EricIvins]

Wow.....I'm throughly confused, as what you quoted was in reference to me not being able to go over the forum with a fine tooth comb........

I know what avenues these animals may turn up in......

Again - What more do you know that I don't? Do you know me?

You want to do the right thing? Call Animal Control and turn the animal over......I have no problem admitting if the Tortoise isn't mine, I however can't tell you if it's mine if you aren't willing to lift a finger to do so........Why aren't you going through the right channels to determine proper ownership of the animal? The animal wasn't yours in the first place, and it may or may not be mine.........