A much-loved tortoise that escaped in search of a mate nearly a year ago has been found — just a mile from home — after a slow-speed odyssey across the Gloucestershire countryside.
Ginger, who belongs to Sarah-Jane Muirie, 51, had been missing since June last year, after burrowing under a garden fence following the death of her long-time companion, Fred. Despite moving at an average speed of just 0.13mph, Ginger evaded detection for 11 months before being spotted behind a pub in the village of Stanton. Ms Muirie, who lives near Bredon, Worcestershire, has cared for Ginger since childhood. She said the tortoise’s return was nothing short of miraculous.
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“We’ve had Ginger since I was ten years old,” she said. “When she escaped, I thought that was it — I’d never see her again. We lost Fred, our other tortoise, a couple of years ago, and a vet friend reckoned Ginger had gone looking for a new mate.”
The search initially sparked local attention, with Ms Muirie putting up missing posters around the area. But as months passed without any sightings, hope began to fade. “She must have dug out under the fence, through next door’s garden and off into the fields,” Ms Muirie explained. “She’s so well camouflaged that we thought there was no chance we’d find her.”
It’s believed Ginger travelled until around October before hibernating for the winter. With the arrival of spring, she likely emerged once again — prompting a brief string of sightings. A local resident from Greece first noticed her but thought nothing of it, given the species’ common presence in the Mediterranean.
It was a horse rider who finally realised something was amiss. Ginger had been resting behind the Mount Inn in Stanton, roughly a mile from her home. Initially mistaken for a rock, she was identified when the ‘rock’ was seen to have a head and legs.
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“Amazingly, someone remembered the posters we’d put up nearly a year ago and gave us a call,” said Ms Muirie. “At first I thought it couldn’t be her — but really, how many tortoises can there be wandering around rural Gloucestershire?”
Now safely back home, Ginger has been making the most of the sunny weather — basking in the garden and enjoying her favourite food. “I genuinely couldn’t believe she survived a year out in the wild,” Ms Muirie said. “But she’s back, and she seems perfectly happy — like she never left.”
