PA Press: Kidnapped tortoise makes slow escape

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Tortoise Forum ]

Posted by Wes von Papine�u on June 19, 2002 at 20:24:37:

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER (Pennsylvania) 19 June 02 Kidnapped tortoise makes slow escape - The thief had a change of heart. (Benjamin Wallace-Wells)
Chadds Ford: After you kidnap a 45-pound tortoise as big around as a tire on a small car, where do you hide it?
Whoever stole Samson from a garden center here over the weekend apparently could not come up with a suitable place. Some children found the tortoise wandering along a street in Oxford yesterday, 25 miles from the scene of the crime.
His kidnapper remains at large.
"We've recovered the tortoise, but we're still searching for the hare," said Trooper Leonardo Becerra of the state police Avondale barracks.
The 8-year-old African spur-thigh tortoise is back with his owners, Peter and Pam Schlett, who keep him at their shop, Stephens Garden Creations on Kennett Pike in Chadds Ford, and appears to be none the worse for his travels.
"It's hard to tell with him, because he doesn't move around too much - I call him our little boulder - but he seems to be doing all right," Peter Schlett said yesterday.
Chris Coverly, an Oxford police officer, said a group of children found the tortoise walking slowly down Fifth Street late yesterday morning, brought him inside and called the police.
The Oxford police referred the call to Coverly, who happened to have worked for the Schletts for seven years before signing up for the police academy. Coverly went out to the Old Street back yard where the children and a neighbor had put the tortoise and started calling out its name.
"Pam said he'd respond to his name, so I went out there and was like, 'Samson, Samson,' and he kind of poked his head up a little every time, so I figured it was probably him," Coverly said.
Samson also has a big white scar on the top of his head, the legacy of a particularly ugly tortoise fight: "This is definitely Samson," Pam Schlett said.
Her husband said that the thief apparently knew what he was after.
"We had all kinds of tools laying out - drills, saws, stuff that's much easier to carry and sell than a tortoise, but he just went straight for Samson," Peter Schlett said.
Pam Schlett walked into the greenhouse shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and, per usual, found a dozen water turtles, four rabbits, one hedgehog and an empty lump of straw where Samson likes to snooze.
"Sometimes he stays sleeping in there 13, 14 hours, so at first I figured that he was just asleep, but when I looked closer, I realized he wasn't anywhere right around, and he's not a speedy creature. He can't get too far away on his own," Pam Schlett said.
Customers sometimes leave fish or turtles with the Schletts, who keep them in garden displays. Two months ago, a customer from Wilmington came by and said he'd like to drop off an African spur-thigh tortoise.
The customer said he had two male tortoises at home. Ever since the younger tortoise - Samson - reached sexual maturity, the older male (a 100-pound behemoth named - get ready - Goliath) had been keeping him from food and frequently battering him.
Mike Castiglioni, reptile manager at a pet shop called the Frazer Zoo, in Frazer, said even though African spur-thighs ("the most popular of all tortoise species") are generally docile, two males put together will frequently spar for dominance.
"Generally what'll happen is one male will charge up and run into the other one, banging him up against a fence or something," Castiglioni said.
"It's not that there's a lot of physical damage, because a tortoise is pretty well protected, but it does lead to a lot of stress for the tortoise."
Castiglioni said the tortoises, which are native to Africa, can grow to between 90 and 120 pounds and live to be more than 100 years old.
"They make great pets," Castiglioni said, "but it's a lot of work taking care of an animal that big. You have to buy a lot of lettuce."
Had the thieves tried to sell Samson to a store, Castiglioni said, they wouldn't have had too much trouble. "There's definitely a market out there, and there's really no way to tell whether a tortoise comes from where someone says he does," he said. Samson would have fetched about $300, he estimated.

Kidnapped tortoise makes slow escape

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:
: PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER (Pennsylvania) 19 June 02 Kidnapped tortoise makes slow escape - The thief had a change of heart. (Benjamin Wallace-Wells) : Chadds Ford: After you kidnap a 45-pound tortoise as big around as a tire on a small car, where do you hide it? : Whoever stole Samson from a garden center here over the weekend apparently could not come up with a suitable place. Some children found the tortoise wandering along a street in Oxford yesterday, 25 miles from the scene of the crime. : His kidnapper remains at large. : "We've recovered the tortoise, but we're still searching for the hare," said Trooper Leonardo Becerra of the state police Avondale barracks. : The 8-year-old African spur-thigh tortoise is back with his owners, Peter and Pam Schlett, who keep him at their shop, Stephens Garden Creations on Kennett Pike in Chadds Ford, and appears to be none the worse for his travels. : "It's hard to tell with him, because he doesn't move around too much - I call him our little boulder - but he seems to be doing all right," Peter Schlett said yesterday. : Chris Coverly, an Oxford police officer, said a group of children found the tortoise walking slowly down Fifth Street late yesterday morning, brought him inside and called the police. : The Oxford police referred the call to Coverly, who happened to have worked for the Schletts for seven years before signing up for the police academy. Coverly went out to the Old Street back yard where the children and a neighbor had put the tortoise and started calling out its name. : "Pam said he'd respond to his name, so I went out there and was like, 'Samson, Samson,' and he kind of poked his head up a little every time, so I figured it was probably him," Coverly said. : Samson also has a big white scar on the top of his head, the legacy of a particularly ugly tortoise fight: "This is definitely Samson," Pam Schlett said. : Her husband said that the thief apparently knew what he was after. : "We had all kinds of tools laying out - drills, saws, stuff that's much easier to carry and sell than a tortoise, but he just went straight for Samson," Peter Schlett said. : Pam Schlett walked into the greenhouse shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and, per usual, found a dozen water turtles, four rabbits, one hedgehog and an empty lump of straw where Samson likes to snooze. : "Sometimes he stays sleeping in there 13, 14 hours, so at first I figured that he was just asleep, but when I looked closer, I realized he wasn't anywhere right around, and he's not a speedy creature. He can't get too far away on his own," Pam Schlett said. : Customers sometimes leave fish or turtles with the Schletts, who keep them in garden displays. Two months ago, a customer from Wilmington came by and said he'd like to drop off an African spur-thigh tortoise. : The customer said he had two male tortoises at home. Ever since the younger tortoise - Samson - reached sexual maturity, the older male (a 100-pound behemoth named - get ready - Goliath) had been keeping him from food and frequently battering him. : Mike Castiglioni, reptile manager at a pet shop called the Frazer Zoo, in Frazer, said even though African spur-thighs ("the most popular of all tortoise species") are generally docile, two males put together will frequently spar for dominance. : "Generally what'll happen is one male will charge up and run into the other one, banging him up against a fence or something," Castiglioni said. : "It's not that there's a lot of physical damage, because a tortoise is pretty well protected, but it does lead to a lot of stress for the tortoise." : Castiglioni said the tortoises, which are native to Africa, can grow to between 90 and 120 pounds and live to be more than 100 years old. : "They make great pets," Castiglioni said, "but it's a lot of work taking care of an animal that big. You have to buy a lot of lettuce." : Had the thieves tried to sell Samson to a store, Castiglioni said, they wouldn't have had too much trouble. "There's definitely a market out there, and there's really no way to tell whether a tortoise comes from where someone says he does," he said. Samson would have fetched about $300, he estimated. :

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Tortoise Forum ]