You might not imagine a two hundred pound tortoise would be much of an escape artist. Houdini the turtle? Hard to picture… unless you know Willy.
Willy is an eleven year old African tortoise who lives near Riverside, California. He joined the Larsen family as a birthday present. When Willy came home from the pet store, he was small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
Nowadays, Willy is tipping the scales at two hundred pounds. He tips over tables and gives rides to young Larsen nieces and nephews. The family had no idea that Willy would get so large when they bought him for their daughter’s tenth birthday.
The Larsens also didn’t know that Willy would turn into an escape artist. He’s made three breaks from their fenced yard over the last decade. In his latest escape, Willy made it a half mile before he was corralled by a neighbor. The Riverside County Department of Animal Services came to pick up the African tortoise.
Even the Animal Services staff was pretty amazed at the size of the turtle. Willy rocked back and forth in the back of their pickup truck. A spokesman commented that Willy was the size of a small bathtub. Pictures of Willy were posted on the Department of Animal Services website, and Lisa Larsen (who had received the turtle for her tenth birthday) recognized him immediately.
Willy was returned safely after less than six hours on the run. Or at least… on the shuffle. The Larsens figure that their son left the backyard gate open, allowing Willy to escape.
Considering the long life span of giant turtles, the Larsens expect to be chasing Willy down for many years to come. He’ll probably be giving rides to Larsen grandchildren and maybe even great-grandchildren!