- By David Knox
- BBC Scotland Selkirk
Cathryn with runaway tortoise Tommy
The owner of a runaway tortoise is tightening up security after her 60-year-old family pet reached the other end of a hectic Borders town.
Cathryn Scott is still uncertain how Tommy crossed a minimum of 3 hectic roadways, a town centre and a footbridge to wind up about a mile far from home.
But the legal services officer from Selkirk is taking no more possibilities.
Cathryn said: “We are strengthening his pen by building up the wire netting and producing an overhang.”
Despite taking care of Tommy for 40 years, Cathryn can just remember a number of previous leaves prior to this summer season.
He was discovered within a brief walk following both of his breakouts in 2017 – the very first on a neighbouring roadway, and after that in a neighbour’s garden.
Tommy the tortoise took a trip for more than a mile throughout a hectic town prior to being discovered
During his two-day fantastic escape recently, Tommy reached the opposite of Selkirk.
Cathryn explained: “We had actually been away in Arran on a vacation and a friend was taking care of him.
“He wasn’t in his pen when we returned on the Sunday night, and regardless of searching around our garden he could not be discovered.
“I set up a post on Facebook for pals to watch out for him and the following night I got a message to state that he had actually been discovered walking around the grassy location exterior Riverside Nursing Home – that’s at the other end of the town.
“We believe he’s made his own method to the High Street and somebody has actually assisted him with the rest, although it’s not likely we’ll ever understand for sure.”
Image source, Gordon Brown/Geograph
Cathryn thinks Tommy reached Scotts Place, where he might have been assisted through the town centre
It is approximated that tortoises can take a trip at speeds of approximately one kilometre (about half a mile) every 3 or 4 hours.
But Tommy still needed to manoeuvre his method throughout the town’s hectic Scotts Place, High Street and the A7 trunk roadway prior to coming down either the Green or Forest Road to reach the Ettrick Water.
He likewise needed to cross either the roadway or foot bridge to reach the Bannerfield location where he was discovered on Monday night.
Within days of being gone back to his pen, Tommy made another quote for flexibility at the weekend.
This time he was discovered later on in the day roaming in the undergrowth at the bottom of a neighbour’s garden.
Cathryn and other half, Michael, are building up the fences around Tommy’s pen
Cathryn included: “The neighbours are landscaping their garden so he was lucky.
“There’s a digger operating in there and they are spraying all of the thick locations of turf.
“Hopefully this will be the last drama we have with Tommy.”
