The tortoise was nearly run over by a motorist (representational)
A pet tortoise's getaway attempt was cut short when he was found barely a mile away from his home after a week of being missing, said a report.
Fred, the 100-year-old tortoise, escaped his home in Blackfield, UK a week ago. His owner, 86-year-old Terry Phelps, was worried that his beloved pet had been stolen and even had an article published in a local newspaper, reported
Metro.
Seven days later, a motorist driving on a highway nearly ran over Fred. "He was right in the middle of the carriageway and I almost ran him over," the man told
Daily Echo. "When I got home someone told me that they'd seen an article... about a missing tortoise."
After establishing that the tortoise he found was indeed Fred, the Good Samaritan returned the pet to its rightful owners.
Fred's owner says he spent sleepless nights while his pet was gone. "After he came home I sat on a bench and went to sleep while looking at him," Mr Phelps told Daily Echo.
Fred returned home safe and well after his brief run for freedom.
In a similar incident last year,
a female tortoise broke out of a zoo in Japan, only to be found 140 metres away. The reptile's escape became the top item in news bulletins in Japan as hapless zookeepers offered a reward of 500,000 yen for anyone who could find her.Click for more
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