Escaped 100-year-old tortoise reunited with Louisiana family

Sept. 5 (UPI) -- A 100-year-old African tortoise was reunited with his family in Louisiana after escaping during a windstorm and being found in a canal.

The Parish of Ascension said in a Facebook post that animal control officers were summoned to the New River Canal on a report of a tortoise in distress.

The massive shelled animal was "humanely contained, loaded into the truck, and safely transported" to Cara's House-Ascension Parish Animal Shelter, the post said.

The shelter was able to reunite the tortoise, named Biscuit, with his owners. The shelter said Biscuit is 100 years old.

Lamoine Howard, Biscuit's owner, said the tortoise escaped when strong winds and rain broke the latch on his back gate and it swung open.