Tête-à-tête With a Tortoise..
This grand tortoise pops by every now and again, especially when s/he’s thirsty..
S/he’s spotted me, here s/he comes..
Where from, I’ve no idea, s/he just appears, drinks lots of water, making these wonderful sounds between long sips..
..then comes and gives my foot a sniff or nuzzle, maybe a taster (!), before coming even closer..
..to look me squarely in the eye with that wonderfully weathered, prehistoric face, before wandering off again, to who knows where, hopefully to return sometime soon.
On a previous visit, clearly very thirsty.
Amongst others, these two are also frequent visitors. I recognize the one because of its partly damaged shell. We always check under our cars before driving.
I came across this impressive dude/ette, somewhere in the Karoo.
One needs to heed these signs, or else this next sad image could be your reality!
:( Not my doing, but you don’t want to have to live with yourself if this happens to you.
“!” Indeed!
Protect and respect our dwindling wildlife. We had a veld (bush) fire up the West Coast not that long ago, and it was estimated that approx 250,000 tortoises died, just within the area of a few square kilometres. They cannot escape these devastating fires.
A last little tortoise tale: Once, travelling on Noordhoek Main Rd, I came across a tortoise ambling from one side to the other. I pulled over, got out of my car and put my hand up to signal to oncoming traffic to stop, while picking up the tortoise. S/he promptly peed on me while wriggling wildly and, to my horror, I dropped the poor thing, but no harm done fortunately!
The point, I learned later, is NOT to pick up tortoises unless really necessary, as that ‘pee’ is their bodily fluid and hydration they are expelling in fear!
Sadly, tortoises are also under threat in South Africa by poachers for various reasons:
Illegal Pet Trade: Tortoises are poached to be sold as pets, both domestically and internationally, with some species being highly sought after by collectors.
Bushmeat: Some tortoises, like Leopard Tortoises, are poached for their meat, which is considered bushmeat.
Traditional Medicine: Tortoises and their shells are sought after for use in traditional medicine practices, although this is less common than the pet trade.
Note: it is illegal to collect or keep tortoises without a permit in South Africa.
For any wildlife emergencies, contact:
The Owl Orphanage will also help directly or indirectly, for the best possible outcome. Wildlife only.
