Here is an interesting situation. Person #1 purchased a large male sulcata three years ago. This sulcata escaped almost two years ago and was recently found across the street from where it originally escaped from. The tortoise again escaped and has been missing for about one month this time. Person #1 discovers the tortoise at the local animal control and goes down to claim his tortoise. The staff at the animal control tells person #1 that someone else (Person #2) has already put a claim on the tortoise and has pictures, etc. Person #1 also has pictures, etc. Animal control calls me and ask my opinion, it is clear that all pictures are of the same male sulcata. I offered this possible narrative, when the tortoise originally escaped from person #1, person #2 found the tortoise and decided that it is now his. Person #2 had the tortoise for about one year and then it escaped from him, that is when the neighbor of person #1 found the tortoise roaming his yard and calls person #1. The tortoise then escapes from person #1 again and this time is picked up by animal control. One fact that needs disclosed is person #1 and person #2 live within one mile of each other. One fact that puzzles me is that the final location of the tortoise when picked up by animal control was just over 23 miles away from both person #1 and person #2. Neither person #1 nor person #2 have a bill of sale, however the pictures they both provided are definitively the same tortoise.
Q: What would you do and why?
Q: What would you do and why?
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