Seven giant tortoises found dead in Devon woodland

Seven giant tortoises have been found dead in Devon woodland.

Two bodies were discovered in an roughly north-east of Exeter on 8 January and a further five were found nearby on 12 January.

They are thought to be Aldabra giant tortoises.

Devon and Cornwall Police say they are investigating the circumstances given the unusual type of incident and the protected status of the animals.

Work is taking place to identify the owners and find out where the tortoises originated from and what happened to them.

Inspector Mark Arthurs said: “We are appealing to members of the public for information to try to establish the circumstances around this discovery and to identify those responsible.

“We would also like to hear from anyone who has recently purchased a giant tortoise in the area or knows of anyone who normally has a large number of tortoises but has fewer now.”