Tortoise found a year after escaping in search of mate

By Ed Chatterton

A lovelorn tortoise which escaped to find a mate 11 months ago has been found just a mile away - an average speed of just 0.00012mph.

Ginger dug under a garden fence before making a slow getaway across countryside fields looking for love following the death of her longtime companion Fred.

She was finally found behind a pub by a horse rider last week in Stanton, Glos.

Owner Sarah-Jane Muirie, 51, is now celebrating the return of her beloved pet who she has owned since she was a 10-year-old girl.

The mom-of-one had put up signs around the area following Ginger's disappearance last June but said she'd given up hope after nearly a year without a single sighting.

Sarah-Jane, who lives near Bredon, Worcs., said: "We've had Ginger since I was a 10-year-old girl and when she escaped, I thought I would never see her again.

"We had another tortoise called Fre,d who we lost a couple of years ago and a vet friend of mine believes she went looking for a mate.

"It's that time of the year and she's always had Fred so she's dug herself out under the garden fence and through next doors before getting into some fields.

"She is that well camouflaged, we thought there's no chance we would ever find her, but we put up missing posters anyway.

"We think from June to October, she's got as far as she could before hibernating when the weather got cold.

"She must have only recently come out of hibernation as the better weather came along.

"A woman in the village from Greece first spotted her but thought nothing of it as they are native to Greece.

"But obviously its an unusual thing to see in the UK and it was a horse rider who spotted her the following day."

Ginger was discovered behind the Mount Inn pub - a good mile away from her home.

PR consultant Sarah Jane added: "They thought it was a rock at first but then noticed this rock had a head and legs and rescued him.

"Amazingly, somebody remembered the posters we put up nearly a year ago and we then got the call.

"At first I thought it couldn't be Ginger but then realised there's probably not too many people around here with tortoises.

"It was amazing to get her back because we thought there was no chance she would survive the winter out there alone."

"I genuinely couldn't believe that she survived a year of the wild."

She said since coming home, Ginger has been enjoying the sunshine and found herself a little area where she can sunbathe and eat food.

Sarah Jayne said: "To have a pet for 40 years, she could outlive me so it means a lot. We're very happy to have her back and it feels like a childhood memory has returned."