Tortoise miraculously escapes recycling center machinery

By Imogen Howse via SWNS

A lucky tortoise had a miracle escape after surviving a trip through machinery at a recycling center's sorting line - before being found by shell-shocked workers.

Employees at Mid UK Recycling in Grantham, Lincs., discovered the tortoise on Thursday (17/10) buried amongst rubbish on the hand sorting line.

They said the saucer-sized animal would have been through quite the journey before reaching that point in the process - arriving on a 22-tonne lorry, being scooped up by a digger, and even making it through a glass-smashing machine.

The tortoise has since been handed over to Kirks Vets in Sleaford, Lincs, where he has been affectionately nicknamed Pee-Wee.

Workers at the practice say Pee-Wee has suffered some damage to his shell but is otherwise happy and healthy.

He is thought to be a Herman tortoise, weighing around 675g and measuring at 12cm wide.

Kirks Vets are now desperately trying to find his owners.

Mid UK Recycling employee Paul Frost, one of the people who found Pee-Wee, said the poor animal "should have been dead."

The 41-year-old said: "The journey the tortoise had been through would have been crazy. It should have been dead, the poor thing.

"It would have been brought in on a 22-tonne recycling truck which could have come from anywhere in the country.

"It then would have been ejected from the lorry and scooped up in a digger, before ending up on the hand-sorting line where it was found.

"That is one lucky tortoise!”

Paul brought Pee-Wee home and his wife Louise, 38, gave him a bath to raise his body temperature. They then took him to Kirks Vets.

It's not the first time the couple have looked after animals finding themselves in dire situations - as they also adopted three kittens who Paul previously discovered at his recycling centre's picking line.

Sara Marchant, practice manager at Kirks Vets, said: "This little tortoise has been on a huge journey and it’s incredible that he could have traveled to Sleaford from anywhere in the UK.

"Luckily he is in good shape for what he’s been through and is getting lots of care and attention from our team."

She said that while Pee-Wee is microchipped, he is not registered on any databases - so Kirks Vets are urging anyone who thinks he might be theirs to get in touch.

She added: "We really want to help reunite him with his owner and encourage anyone who thinks he may be theirs and has a microchip number we can use to verify ownership to get in touch with us."

If an owner doesn’t come forward, Kirks Vets will look to rehome Pee-Wee locally, either with a family or a wildlife center with a vivarium where he can live happily.