Rocklin Man Reunited With Escaped Pet Tortoise
ROCKLIN (CBS13) — A Rocklin man has been reunited with his missing tortoise, but Rocklin police aren't resting easy.
Police say people are finding more and more runaway reptiles across town.
Randy wanted to come out of his shell for a little while, and he used his 30 pounds of strength and speed to get free.
"I have a side door to the garage door and he just pushed it open," said his owner Nathan Peterson.
The 7-year-old African spurred tortoise went hunting for freedom, but he didn't get very far.
"Somebody had called in and said there was a giant turtle running across the street," Peterson said.
Officers found Randy zipping down Racetrack Road. They busted him for speeding, but not jaywalking, and had a temporary home for him. That's because the Rocklin Police Department has a hardy deputy of its own—their 15-year-old red-eared slider turtle named Rookie. Animal control found her last summer wandering on Rocklin Road, but no one claimed her.
"First of all, it was a little complicated because we've never taken care of turtles before," said Lt. Scott Horrillo.
But they adopted her and built her a bond.
"Our employees in there wanted to have sort of a mascot, or pet that they could care for and watch," he said.
But why so many runaway reptiles in Rocklin?
Police think it's because people buy small water turtles without realizing how large they can get, then dump them in the nearby quarries.
"You hear about people letting alligators go," said Rocklin resident John Wyatt. "Florida's a good example of the pythons that have taken over and are running wild."
