The old Almedia family from Rio de Janeiro accidentally discovered the tortoise Manuela, which had disappeared without a trace in 1982, during the cleaning of the pantry with old things in the storeroom. Finally, the darling returned to the family after a 30-year absence. As the owners of the animal admit, they had no idea where the turtle had disappeared in its time. “In 1982 we made repairs and decided that Manuela had run through the open door. The long search for the turtle was not successful. ”
The room in which Manuela lived for three decades, was intended to store unnecessary things. The owner of the house, Leonel Almedia, was in the habit of finding old equipment on the street. “My father put all this stuff in the closet. We were forbidden to go there, ”said Lenita and Leandro Almedia.
It was only after the death of the parent that the adult children began to throw out unnecessary “ballast”. “I brought a junk box with a broken player, and he wondered if I was planning to throw out a turtle,” laughs Leandro Almedia.
Amazed relatives learned in the animal a beloved turtle, which was absent for such a long time. “We could not understand how Manuela managed to live 30 years alone in a closed room. Now we are happy that she is with us again. ” The veterinarian who examined the involuntary captive of the pantry, said that Manuela is a red-legged tortoise, and this species may well go without food for a long time. The specialist said the animal survived because it ate woody termites.
