Escaped tortoise hitches a ride, goes wandering through soybean fields

Oct. 27 (UPI) -- An Alabama family said their pet tortoise is safely back at home after escaping from his fenced enclosure, catching a ride to the other side of the county and wandering through soybean fields.

Ty Harris said Sparkplug, a 200-pound African spurred tortoise, escaped from his fenced-in enclosure on the family's Sardis City property on Thursday morning and went wandering down the road.

The family later learned that a man had found Sparkplug at the side of the road and transported the tortoise to his property in South Sauty, on the other side of Marshall County, and released him onto his 200-acre property.

The man who found Sparkplug later learned from social media that the tortoise was an escaped pet and contacted the Harris family.

Ty Harris said multiple area farmers reported spotting the tortoise wandering through their soybean fields.

The man who had released Sparkplug went out searching again Saturday, found Sparkplug and took him home.

Harris thanked the man and the farmers who reported their Sparkplug sightings in a Facebook post.