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VIDEO: Pet tortoise returns to B.C. home after nine months on the lam

91ƵWe thought he was eaten by eagles so we were expecting to find his shell somewhere.91Ƶ

An adventurous tortoise is back home after spending the past nine months exploring Ucluelet.

Fish, the Canadian Princess Lodge91Ƶs 15-year-old office pet, went missing on Sept. 2, 2017, after escaping from an enclosure he had been hanging out in on the Lodge91Ƶs lawn.

91ƵHe91Ƶs a beloved member of the family. We were really upset when he was gone,91Ƶ said the Lodge91Ƶs Megan Flood. 91ƵWe were offering rewards. We had missing posters all over town. At some point, we gave up hope. We thought he was eaten by eagles so we were expecting to find his shell somewhere.91Ƶ

That feeling of hopelessness was replaced with jubilation on Monday as, Flood said, three Windsor Plywood employees spotted the turtle trying to fend off a crow across the street from the Lodge.

91ƵThey just so happened to be passing by and they saw the tortoise crossing the street, and a crow was trying to eat him. So, they saved the tortoise and brought him across the street,91Ƶ Flood said. 91ƵOne of the guys came over here and asked if we were missing a turtle. So, I went outside and I started to freak out. I was like, 91ƵThere91Ƶs no way it can be Fish.91Ƶ I got a little teary eyed because we91Ƶve been missing the guy.91Ƶ

She said, despite the little animal being covered in cobwebs, she recognized Fish immediately thanks to his unique markings.

91ƵWe were hysterical when he came back. I was taking pictures and sending them all to the family members. The owners came over straight away and they were ecstatic,91Ƶ she said.

Fish is a vegetarian who feasts primarily on blueberries and lettuce. Flood said he looked like he91Ƶd eaten well during his time away.

91Ƶ[There91Ƶs] lots of leafy greens around Ukee, so he91Ƶs pretty happy,91Ƶ she said.

This was not Fish91Ƶs first time on the lam, as the wily creature once wandered off for two years before being found.

91ƵHe91Ƶs a little escape artist, but we love him,91Ƶ she said. 91ƵSome people have office dogs, we have a tortoise91ƵHe91Ƶs easy to take care of and he91Ƶs an all around nice guy.91Ƶ

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Andrew Bailey

About the Author: Andrew Bailey

I arrived at the Westerly News as a reporter and photographer in January 2012.
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