Giant Tortoise Makes a Break, Er, Crawl for It

In turtle time, Franklin had a good crawl during his four days of liberation.

The 60-pound sulcata tortoise set out on his big adventure Thursday when he strayed from his Davison Township home. Franklin was found about a half mile away in Grand Blanc on Sunday, MLive/The Flint Journal reports.

In between, it’s unclear if there was a hare involved.

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Owner Chris Breuhan told the newspaper that Franklin spends time in an outdoor enclosure during warmer weather. When they discovered the tortoise had made an (ahem) run for it, they explored the 10 acres surrounding their country home to no avail.

A Grand Blanc man who was passing through the area saw the missing pet flyers the family had posted and rescued the reptile.

Now, Franklin is back home and doing fine, albeit a bit “grumpy,” Breuhan told the newspaper, “kind of like everything is an inconvenience for him.”

Did You Know?

• Sulcata tortoises are tiny at birth – Franklin fit in the palm of Bruehan’s hand when he brought him home from a Royal Oak pet store – but grow very quickly. In captivity where there is no competition for food, male sulcatas – the largest of the African mainland tortoises –  can weigh up to 200 pounds and be three feet in length. Captive tortoises could live more than 100 years.