A woman living in the Canadian region of British Columbia, near the city of Richmond, was paid a surprise visit from a giant tortoise of the endangered African breed Sulcata in the backyard of her farmhouse.
Shelly Smith, a dog trainer, initially presumed the animal to be a rock poking out from the rows of spinach but it turned out that it was moving too-not all of a sudden but at a slow speed.
She called a local animal shelter. Interestingly, while she was asked about the size of the tortoise, she blurted out that “it was bigger than the platter you’d use to serve 24 people a Thanksgiving turkey.”
The tortoise has been named as Frank the Tank and is now living with a foster family until it finds a permanent home.
The Sulcata breed of tortoise is endangered but keeping them could be very overwhelming because of the size they grow to and the care they demand so it is common for owners to abandon them. They are relatively cheap (almost 500 Canadian dollars) but these are the kinds of pets which are passed onto the next of kin in the will. Apart from the huge size they grow up to, they can live almost 150 years.
Frank the Tank currently weighs 35 pounds and is expected to grow to 50 pounds. His age at the moment is unknown but it appears he probably has a century in hand.
The veterinarian at the shelter house said, “You really have to plan on what you have to do with him after you die.”
