Skip navigation

Tortoise home after .005 mph freedom bid

After a month on the lam, 40-pound Willy is returned to his owner

Image: Wille the tortoise
Willy, a tortoise, belonging to Kellie Copeland-Burnup of Ridgeville, N.C., walks past the family dog Sunday. After a month on the lam, the 40-pound tortoise with a 2-foot-wide, gold-colored shell is back in the wading pool at his owner's home.
Kellie Copeland-Burnup / The Post and Courier via AP
Video: Wonderful World
Baby boom at L.A. Zoo
  July 17: Baby flamingos and giraffes are among the new additions at the Los Angeles Zoo. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.

  Your turn!
Inspirational athletes
In honor of the 2008 Olympics, we're celebrating the athletes in your own life who inspire greatness.
  Giving
Philanthropist helps Madoff victims
A Massachusetts philanthropist who lost most of his fortune in the Bernard Madoff scandal has paid $5 million out of his own pocket to restore the retirement savings of employees who lost money.

Text alerts on msnbc.com

Breaking news alerts (about 1 per day)
Click here to sign up or text NEWS to MSNBC (67622).

Find more alerts at alerts.msnbc.com

updated 8:35 a.m. ET Aug. 22, 2006

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. - Willy the tortoise made a break for freedom — well, break may be too strong a word. It was more like a slow crawl. But after a month on the lam, the 40-pound tortoise with a 2-foot-wide, gold-colored shell is back in the wading pool at his owner's home.

Kellie Copeland-Burnup reported the tortoise escaped about July 1.

A local emergency medical services technician spotted Willy on Sunday along a rural road about five miles away. During six weeks on the run, Willy averaged .005 mph, well short of a new land speed record.

Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here

The tortoise is now inside a chain-link dog kennel in Copeland-Burnup's back yard although she knows he is capable of digging under a fence.

"I'll be keeping an eye on him," Copeland-Burnup said.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sponsored LinksGet listed here
Online College Courses
Boost your career with an online Degree. Pick from Leading Colleges!
www.EarnMyDegree.com

Sponsored links

Resource guide