Tortoise missing for months found 300 meters away from home

By Lauren Beavis

An owner has been left “astonished” after her tortoise went missing for eight months — only to be found 300 meters away.

Fiona Sherriff, 58, was left devastated when her tortoise named Scuttle went missing from her enclosure in Cusgarne, Cornwall, in August 2025.

But just earlier this month the wandering reptile was discovered by a neighbor in a nearby field — just 300 meters away.

Remarkably, Scuttle was found completely unharmed and she is now back in her enclosure with her fellow tortoise, Pickford.

Sherriff, who runs the boutique B&B Cusgarne Manor, said: "Honestly I am just so relieved she is back, I was so sad something had happened to her.

"There was no sign of escape from the enclosure — Scuttle is very energetic and we think she had even climbed a Cornish hedge!"

Scuttle and Pickford have been in Sherriff’s family since she and her sister were children in the 1970s.

Despite not knowing their exact age, Sherriff believes they are at least 70 years old — possibly older.

Sherriff said: “They were fully grown tortoises when we had them during the '70s — so they are at least 70, maybe even 80.

"They belonged to my mom, Pauline, and when she passed away last year I inherited them.

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“My mom loved the tortoises so much and so it was a big responsibility to have them — so I was scared to death of something happening to them!”

When Scuttle went missing last year, Sherriff said she searched far and wide trying to find her.

She said: "I had named her when I was a child because she scuttled along fast — but it really was very sad when she went missing!"

Sherriff appealed for help on local Facebook groups — and was amazed when her neighbor found Scuttle in a little burrow in her neighboring field.

She said: “She really was not that far really, probably only around 300 meters.

“I was astonished she hadn’t gone miles — they can go quite far!

“We live in the countryside and there are so many predators from badgers to foxes and rats, so she must have buried herself to keep safe.

“It was so wet over the winter too, she could have drowned if she was in the wrong place.

“They dig themselves into the ground, so she must have found herself a safe spot to hibernate – it's amazing.”

The tortoise is now safely back in her enclosure with fellow tortoise Pickford — being spoiled with lettuce and dandelions.

Sherriff wants to build another enclosure for her tortoises so her guests can see them too.