UPDATE: Cruz the tortoise has been found, safe and sound — and not far from his home in Tappen, B.C.
On Saturday afternoon, the Bostock family told Global News that their 65-pound pet was located by neighbours a couple of farms over.
Joel Bostock said he was elated to have Cruz back, and thanks everyone who spent time looking for it.
“He was a good kilometre away,” Bostock said of where Cruz was found, adding the tortoise was found in a field “lounging with a couple of cows.”
Asked if he was surprised that Cruz had cruised quite the distance, Bostock said no.
Bostock said his next goal is to build a bigger, stronger pen, one that will prevent Cruz from barging through it again.
ORIGINAL STORY:
If you’re near Tappen, B.C., and spot a 65-pound African Sulcata tortoise, the Bostock family would really love to hear from you.
“My tortoise got loose, got out of his pen,” Joel Bostock told Global News.
Cruz is a family pet that pushed its way out of an outdoor enclosure on May 2 at the Bostock family property in the south Shuswap.
It’s been a week, and the famil has yet to locate the pet reptile.
The family said Cruz’s shell blends in well with the landscape.
The Bostocks, though, aren’t giving up hope in finding their beloved pet, especially since their three children really want him home.
“Eventually, he will show himself,” Bostock said. “You will see him going across your yard easily.”
They believe if the large tortoise made it into the dense underbrush nearby the family home, it would probably slow him down.
If approached, he will likely ‘turtle’ — pull himself into his shell, according to Brandi Bostock.
“He won’t bite you unless you try to feed him and you’re not smart about it,” she said.
If you have any information about Cruz, you can call the Bostock family at 250-803-3350.