WILSONVILLE, Ore. — The Wilsonville Police Department is asking for the public’s help to find a missing tortoise whose brother misses him.
Well, it’s actually unclear whether or not tortoises can miss one another. However, Walter, the 30-year-old, 25-pound, sulcata tortoise did walk out of the Critter Cabana on July 9 around 1:15 p.m. It’s not uncommon for Walter to crawl out of the store, according to a press release from Wilsonville police. Walter is described as “surprisingly fast and smart.”
If you’re asking yourself, ‘How could a tortoise escape without anyone noticing what must surely be a slow exit,’ rest assured, according to Serenity Animal Farm, sulcata tortoises can run (walk, or perhaps shuffle?) up to a whopping 1 mile per hour.
Several minutes after Walter’s daring escape, a passerby notified Critter Cabana employees that he had seen a woman rescue him from the middle of an intersection near SW Holly Street and SW Jessica Street in Wilsonville. The woman said that her neighbor had a turtle and believed Walter might belong to them. The passerby assumed that Walter had escaped from the nearby pet store and reported it to them.
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Tortoises have special needs much like any other reptile. They need special balanced diets and a lot of room because they can grow to be quite large. So, Wilsonville police are trying to locate the woman, described as a white woman, between 40–50 years old with long blonde hair.
Walter’s brother Wesley is still in the care of Critter Cabana and is waiting for a reunion with his brother.
Walter is valued at approximately $1,300.
Anyone with information about Walter’s whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office tip line by phone at 503-723-4949 or online at https://www.clackamas.us/sheriff/tip. Please reference CCSO Case # 21-014439.
