'I have my dad to blame': Meet the Guernsey man who owns and cares for 57 tortoises

Emma Volney meets some new friends...

Meet Timmy, Mummy, Alice and Tinkerbell...these are just four of the 57 tortoises owned and cared for by a man in Guernsey.

Lawson Pipet was given his first tortoise from his dad, who he says is responsible for his collection getting so big: “I have my dad to blame really. Because when I was growing up he had three tortoises, I guess it grew from there."

However, over the years the creatures have come into his care from quite an unusual source: “I saw a need that elderly people didn’t have anyone to pass on the tortoises to.

"I guess they were the guardians of those tortoises and I feel like I’ve kind of taken them on now. I’m the next guardian of them because they live so long."

When not caring for dozens of tortoises, Lawson is a postman - a job that helps to source food for his pets.

"I’m able to look on deliveries at the different weeds as I go into a garden or down a driveway. I’m looking for the weeds and I’ll ask the owner if I can pick them."

Although his collection stands at 57, only 15 are currently awake. The remaining tortoises are hibernating and are kept in a specially monitored fridge:

“As the winters are milder now, obviously there’s always the risk of them waking up during hibernation.

"I’ve adapted my technique and I do use fridges. Some use other ways but this works for me."