Tennessee Tortoise Reunites With His Family After Missing for 74 Days

No one really knows for sure what prompted Solomon, a 150-pound African Sulcata tortoise, to crawl away from his Tennessee home for nearly two months. Perhaps, he was hungry, bored, or just wanted some alone time after being in COVID-19 lock down like the rest of us. Despite his departure, the 15-year-old amphibian was safely reunited with his family last week.

Solomon, the Cole family's beloved pet, was missing for exactly 74 days, when he was found by a father and son who was driving by, according to Solomon's mom, Lynn Cole, when interviewed by WKRN-TV. 

The tortoise did not seem to be in any rush when he was found grazing at a valley in a construction site, that was just an eighth of a mile from his home.

"I guess that we will never know the full details of Solomon's great adventure and how he managed to elude us all for so long," said Cole, who spoke with gratitude.  "No matter his traveled course or intent, thanks to the gentleman and his son who happened to be driving by at that moment, Solomon is now safely at home and, as such, so much joy has been returned to our family."

Solomon has been part of the Cole family since birth.

The family was so overjoyed with their pets rescue that they even offered a reward to the father and son search team.

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