‘Very Curious’ tortoise rescued from cornwall recycling centre

Cornwall: A tortoise named Arnie is home safe after an unexpected adventure that saw her dumped at a recycling centre in her owner’s garden waste bag.

Arnold, as the tortoise is also known, climbed into owner Jacqueline Sear’s garden waste bag on Sunday after knocking it over in the garden. Unaware, Sear took the bag to St Erth Household Waste and Recycling Centre in Cornwall on Tuesday.

Staff at the centre, run by Suez, spotted movement in the green waste bin during routine safety checks for fire risks and contaminants. Senior site manager Stuart Parker said the team acted quickly to remove Arnie “delicately” from the bin and away from any dangers. To find the owner, Suez used its booking system to email everyone who had a slot that morning.

“The team contacted all people that booked a slot that morning by sending them an email and within four hours Arnie and her owner were reunited,” Parker said.

Sear said she was relieved. “Arnie had knocked the bag over, climbed in it and spent the night in there, all day Monday, and then on Tuesday morning we took her to dump unbeknownst to me,” she said.

Arnie was “absolutely fine” after the ordeal, Sear added, joking that she “had enough to eat in the skip because it was full of garden refuse.”The 12-year-old tortoise was rehomed by Sear after her previous owners found her “too adventurous and independent.”“Arnie is very curious, she investigates everything, and headbutts things,” Sear said.

Parker urged people clearing gardens to check waste carefully. “We urge people as they are clearing their gardens to be aware that wildlife, mainly hedgehogs, could be hiding within the garden waste.”