The tortoise and the scare

A Giant Tortoise   (Photo by Childzy)

"Slow and steady wins the race," especially if you’re a tortoise on the “run.”

Such was the case with Spike, an 80-pound Valentine’s Day gift from a New Mexico husband to his tortoise-loving wife.

Seventeen-year-old Spike (just a kid, tortoises are known to live well over 100 years) was growing tired of his yard-based life.  It’s not that he didn’t appreciate his newfound family, but rather that his curiosity had grown beyond what a fence (or a shell) could contain.

So when the gate was accidentally left ajar, Spike “decided to make a break for it.”  He lumbered off down the road, and had traveled half a mile before being apprehended by Animal Control.

This story has a happy ending, at least for Spike’s adoptive family.  He is now safely behind their fence posts once again.

As for Spike?  Perhaps he has mixed feelings.  Perhaps he is recalling the good old days when tortoises were considered divine.  Kurma, half-man and half-tortoise, was said to have been the second Avatar of Vishnu.  The Greek god Hermes was also tortoise-linked.  

Let's face it - hanging behind a picket fence seems a far cry from these heavenly ties...    

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoise

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/oddnews/a-tortoise-ran-away-from-home-213857383.html

Copyright June 12, 2014 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved