Lost tortoise found nearly a mile away

NORTH LINDEN, Ohio, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- An Ohio couple said their beloved pet tortoise is home again after almost a week of wandering following its escape.

Lisa Dupler and Nicole Zahrndt of North Linden said they tirelessly covered the neighborhood in more than 100 "missing tortoise" signs and offered a $100 reward for the safe return of Ophelia -- a male African Spur Thigh tortoise -- after the tortoise tunneled underneath their backyard fence Wednesday, the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported Tuesday.

The pair said their lucky break came when they got a phone call from Stacy Sturgill, whose boyfriend, Louis Maher, has seen a story in the Dispatch about a missing tortoise and spotted the animal outside of Sturgill's apartment, nearly a mile from the tortoise's home.

Dupler and Zahrndt said they were so delighted by Ophelia's return they upped the finder's fee to $120, which Sturgill and Maher said they plan to spend on an air conditioner.

Ophelia's family said they plan to make their fences deeper, since African Spur Thigh tortoises can burrow up to 30 inches deep and made tunnels up to 10 feet long.