FAMILY FINDS PET TORTOISE, LOST FOR 30 YEARS, IN ATTIC

A Brazilian family, who live in Rio de Janeiro, found their pet – who had been lost for 30 years – alive and living in their attic. The pet was a tortoise named Manuela. When she disappeared, the family thought Manuela got out while they were having electrical work done in their house. They searched for her but after some time, mourned her and moved on with their lives. Three decades later, when Dad passed away, family members went to the attic to clean out some of his belongings and that’s when they discovered Manuela in an old wooden speaker box, alive and well. They believe she survived by eating termite larva, and since there wasn’t much water around, she probably got her moisture intake from the young insects as well. What’s more, they took Manuela for a check-up and found out she is actually male. She has been renamed Manuel.
* That tortoise sure picked the right cultural moment for a sex reassignment.
* Hang on – did you say ‘termite larva’?
* The attic! Tortoises are notorious stair climbers.
* Meanwhile, there’s 30 years of turtle poop to clean out of the attic.