A major search is underway for a runaway tortoise who is still on the loose after escaping from a garden in Ambleside.
Tim, who is thought to be more than 70 years old, did a runner – or at least did a very slow walk – with his best pal Fritz, who is thought to be even older, on July 19.
Owner Philip Arends immediately alerted friends and neighbours using social media and door-to-door flyers, and to his delight Fritz was found on Sunday, just a few hundred metres from his home on Stockghyll Lane.
“We’ve had Fritz for 47 years, so he was a big miss and we were desperate to get him back,” said Philip.
“But thankfully someone spotted him in some thick vegetation and after three hours cutting it back we managed to recover him.
“Tim is still on the loose, though, and we’re very anxious to get him back.”
Tim and Fritz have been together for five years, and according to Philip have developed a strong bond of friendship.
“They like to spend time sunbathing together and being in each other’s company.
“Whether they planned this little adventure is something we’ll never know, but tortoises are determined and inquisitive little creatures who will try and break out of enclosures if they get the chance.”
Although slow, tortoises can typically walk anywhere between 300 and 1,000 metres a day.
And while both Tim and Fritz are in their 70s, their lifespan can be anything between 100 and 150 years.
“People ask how can you get attached to tortoise, because they are just walking rocks; but they have characters and it’s funny how you get attached to them,” Philip says.
Tim – a horsefield tortoise – is described as being 12in in diameter and of a brown colour. Anyone who sees him is asked to either contact a local vet or call Philip on 079751 729715.
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