BOY'S PET TORTOISE MISSING FOR SEVEN MONTHS FOUND AT 11,000-VOLT ELECTRICITY SUBSTATION

A family were left stunned after making the shocking discovery their pet tortoise missing for seven months had been found at an 11,000-volt electricity substation. Mary went walkabout last August from her home in Wigan, Greater Manchester, after going missing from the back garden.

But incredibly, despite the cold winter months and lack of a family to care for her, Mary was spotted this month at a site in the town run by Electricity North West.

Ben Baxendale, a grounds maintenance worker for the firm, spotted the unusual trespasser and decided to pick her up and knock on the doors of nearby homes to see if they had lost a pet.

Luck was on Mr Baxendale's side as the first person he spoke to turned out to be the grandmother of nine-year-old Harvey Dean-Evans who was the owner of Mary. Harvey's grandmother recognised the reptile straight away.

Mr Baxendale said: "At first I thought it was some sort of toy on the floor, then I saw the tortoise move and retract its head into its shell.

"I put the tortoise in a bucket and thought I'd knock on a few doors but knew if it wasn't anybody's we'd have to find it a home for the weekend.

"We always make it clear that no one should ever enter our substations - they have 'danger of death' signs on for a reason - but this is the first time I've seen a trespassing tortoise.

"I'm just delighted we could return her safely to where she belongs."

Harvey's mum Jodie said he was delighted to have Mary back safe and sound. She said: "During the summer, we regularly let her out in a small pen and she's quite well known on the estate.

"But that evening in August, she somehow got out of the garden and, despite searching all over, there were just no signs of her and we thought she'd been taken.

"Tears were shed when the beloved pet was returned home, there was all sorts of emotions when we saw Mary.

"It was such a heart-warming moment to see the smile on Harvey's face. He's really into his animals and loves everything about nature.

"He was devastated when Mary had gone missing but seeing his reaction when she was found made a few of us cry. I honestly can't thank Ben and Electricity North West enough; they really did make Harvey's day."

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2023-03-25T20:57:37Z dg43tfdfdgfd