Nature & Environment

Mystery as seven giant tortoises found dead in woodland in England

By T.K. Randall
January 18, 2024

Image: Giant Tortoise (illustrative)
Credit: Yotcmdr / (PD) If there's one animal you don't expect to find during a woodland stroll in the English countryside it's a giant tortoise - an animal found natively on exotic islands situated thousands of miles away.

Nonetheless, on January 8th two dead Aldabra giant tortoises were found dumped in Ashclyst Forest, followed by a further five that were discovered just last week in the same area.

The species - which can live for 150 years and has a shell that can grow up to a meter long - is native to the Seychelles some 5,000 miles away.

Exactly how seven of them wound up dead in a forest in England remains a bit of a mystery.

"We are appealing to members of the public for information to try to establish the circumstances around this discovery and to identify those responsible," said Police Inspector Mark Arthurs."We would ask that if anyone knows anything, they get in touch."

"We would also like to hear from anyone who has recently purchased a giant tortoise in the area or knows of anyone who normally has a large number of tortoises but has fewer now."

Local residents who frequent the woods were shocked at the discovery.

"It seems quite horrifying," said regular visitor Peter Labdon.

"Considering the length of time that they can live, it's a dreadful shame."

Source: BBC News

Tags: Giant Tortoise