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 Absconding tortoise caught 5 miles from home three and a half years later.

"Unusual tortoise" found in Florida identified as "escape artist" pet that went missing in 2020.

The Putnam County Sheriff's office posted about the animal on Facebook on Saturday, saying deputies spotted the "unusual tortoise" in Interlachen. African sulcata tortoises, which are native to the Sahara Desert, are "escape artists," as they can dig out of enclosures, the sheriff's department said. They said the tortoise definitely seemed like someone's pet, since the turtle "likes people and head pats." Florida's Wildest Animal Refuge took in the tortoise as they searched for a possible owner.

An African sulcata tortoise that went missing in 2020 has been recovered, authortities said. Putnam County Sheriff's Office Little did he they know at the time, the tortoise was someone's pet – and was last seen three and a half years ago. Social media followers began sending the refuge a post from 2020 about a missing tortoise, the refuge said in a Facebook post. The photos from the 2020 post matched the photos of the newly found tortoise, who went missing in the same area. 

Turns out it was the same missing tortoise – found five miles from where it went missing – and its owner has been found. "She is in a little bit of rough shape from spending so many cold winters here without heat, but she will be okay, and we recommended a trip to the vet," the refuge said. 

Also known as African spurred tortoises, these animals dig deep into the earth when it's hot, to sit in the cool underground, according to the San Diego Zoo. Like other tortoises, they have stubby feet that are good for digging.  In 2021, two sulcata tortoises in Miami went missing after digging an escape route, according to the Miami Herald. They were reunited with their owners thanks to the Next Door app, which connects neighbors. 

African tortoise that vanished in 2020 is recovered in Florida. How far did it walk?

A 60-pound fugitive tortoise that escaped in 2020 has been recaptured in Florida while trying to cross State Road 20 in Interlachen, according to authorities. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, which cornered the desperado Oct. 21, says deputies knew instantly the African tortoise was an escaped pet — because it “likes people and head pats.” They opted to turn it over to Florida’s Wildest Animal Refuge, a nonprofit that quickly discovered the desert turtle had miraculously endured multiple North Florida winters. Interlachen is about 60 miles southwest of Jacksonville.

“A truly unbelievable story. It just goes to show you to never give up hope!” the refuge wrote in an Oct. 22 update on on Facebook.“She was missing for 3 1/2 years and found 5 miles away from where she originally escaped. She is in a little bit of rough shape from spending so many cold winters here without heat, but she will be okay. ... What a happy ending!”

The wandering reptile had escaped from a home in Hawthorne and was headed east — in the direction of Africa — at an average of 1.6 miles a year, or 8,800 feet. A reunion with the turtle’s long lost family has been arranged, but details were not released. The owner reported in a 2020 social media post that the turtle had been a part of the family “since she was hatched” and escaped while out playing in the yard. “We haven’t given up looking,” the post said.

African tortoises are native to “the southern edge of the Sahara desert in Africa” and can reach 230 pounds and 150 years of age, according Animalia.They feed on weeds, grasses and flowers, all of which are plentiful in Florida’s wilderness areas.

Florida’s Wildest Animal Rescue credited social media with tracking down the owners. The sheriff’s office post reporting the discovery was shared hundreds of times, eventually leading to someone who recalled the owner’s original 2020 Facebook post, officials said. Had the owners not been found, the refuge had agreed to give the tortoise a permanent home, the sheriff’s office said.