A large African spurred tortoise named Molly was discovered moving slowly at the edge of a vast wetland in Manitoba’s Interlake, far from her native Sahara desert habitat. Gillian Malchuk, a nature interpreter at Oak Hammock Marsh, and her colleagues were surprised to find Molly, weighing 36 kilograms, in an area where she didn’t belong.
After receiving reports of tortoise sightings, the team initially thought it might be a snapping turtle, common in Manitoba. However, a sighting on the iNaturalist app confirmed Molly’s presence, prompting a search that quickly led to her discovery.
Molly’s temporary caretakers at Oak Hammock Marsh fed her cucumbers and flower petals, took her on tours, and provided care until her owners were located through a social media post. Molly was reunited with her family, who had raised her for over 15 years, after she had escaped through a gap in their backyard fence during renovations.
Despite the happy reunion, the mystery remains about how Molly traveled over 20 kilometers to the marsh. Speculations include the possibility that a well-meaning individual relocated her to the wetland or that she managed the journey on her own, although the latter seems unlikely given the potential risks to a tortoise in that environment.