California tortoise with cracked shell gets $4,000 repair
COURTESY SAN DIEGO COUNTY
A wayward tortoise as it recovers after it cracked its shell when it fell off of a 10-foot wall in San Diego County. The tortoise is recovering after vets used screws, zip ties and denture material to repair it. County Animal Services Director Dan DeSousa says the male 90-pound African spurred tortoise probably was a pet that got loose from a yard.
SAN DIEGO >> A wayward tortoise that cracked its shell after falling off a 10-foot wall in California is recovering after vets used screws, zip ties and denture material to repair it.
San Diego County Animal Services Director Dan DeSousa says the male 90-pound African spurred tortoise probably was a pet that got loose from a yard.
He says it was found on Sunday after falling over the wall while escaping a dog.
DeSousa says the animal’s shell cracked into three pieces. Veterinarians repaired it Tuesday in a three-hour operation.
The $4,000 cost is covered by the county’s Spirit Fund. The tortoise will live with a rescue group.
DeSousa says it will take a year to heal but the 35- to 40-year-old tortoise could have many more decades of life.
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