Runaway pet tortoise reunited with family in Knebworth eight months after she went missing
A runaway pet tortoise has been reunited with her family eight months after she went missing.
Twin who's been a family pet for more than 70 years escaped from her pen in Knebworth, Hertfordshire in October 2021.
On 5 May, three Network Rail workers were carrying out railway inspections along the East Coast Main Line, when they spotted Twin walking alongside the track.
John Keeley from Network Rail said: “It’s not every day you see a tortoise on the railway, so we definitely did a double take when we spotted Twin!
“Although we weren’t really sure if we’d be able to find the owner, we knew someone would be missing her, so we knew we had to try our best.
"It took a few days, but the power of social media really helped us and allowed us to deliver Twin home safe and sound."
Before being reunited with her owners Twin was taken to a nearby vets to see if she was microchipped and to get her checked over.
Although Twin was given a clean bill of health, she wasn’t microchipped so the rail workers were unable to locate her owners.
The following day, John visited shops and café’s in Knebworth to see if anyone had lost a tortoise.
Although this didn’t bring any joy, a café owner agreed to post about the tortoise on their Facebook page to help spread the word.
The power of social media proved fruitful, with Lizzie Jeanes Twin's owner, spotting the post.
After eight months, Twin was reunited with Lizzie and her two children Charlie, 10, and Connie, 8, as well as with another tortoise named Joey, who Twin has lived with since 1952.
Lizzie Jeanes said: “I was absolutely elated when I heard that Twin had been found. When she went missing, we searched high and low for her, but we’d given up hope when she’d been missing for eight months.
“I can’t thank the team enough for reuniting us once more with Twin, who has been in our family for 70 years. We’re all delighted.”
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