Gilbert Police spotted one of these speedy creatures making its way along a sidewalk in the Power Ranch subdivision last Thursday. An officer contacted members of the surrounding neighborhood to find out who had lost the 25-pound African Tortoise.
None of the nearby neighbors could recall losing such a creature. Power Ranch staff eventually informed the officer that a resident had reported her tortoise missing a few weeks back.
Turns out that the missing tortoise found by Gilbert police is not the tortoise that the resident lost. She promised to care for the tortoise but still is looking for her 10-pound Sonoran Desert pet, Harriet.
This tortoise originally was named Harry -- inspired by the Harry Potter movies -- until it was discovered to be female.
Update: The African tortoise now has been reunited with its original owner -- another Power Ranch resident. But the tortoise of the kind caretaker still is on the loose somewhere -- no doubt moving at a very slow pace.
Oddly enough, this actually marks the third instance when someone in Gilbert has lost a tortoise, Gilbert police Sergeant Bill Balafas tells New Times.
The owner of Harriet released a description of her tortoise in a classified ad on the Power Ranch Home Owners website:
"Please help us find our lost Desert Tortoise," the ad says. "She is fairly large and looks like a rock with legs."
