A rascally reptile is becoming infamous after running away — again — from his home in Metchosin.
The tortoise’s owner Erica Makofka said she let Vonu out of his enclosure, as she does once in a while, to let him roam free on Sunday afternoon at around 2 p.m.
But unbeknownst to her, a gate between her property and Olympic View Golf Course was open, and the tortoise made a run for it.
“We try to give him as much freedom as possible,” she told CHEK News. “You don’t think he’s fast, but he is fast. When you see him, he may be low on his belly and slowly moving, but if he’s on a mission, if he gets up on all fours, he can go fast.”
Vonu is green, in his 40s, about 10-15 pounds and loves eating dandelions, according to Makofka.
He’s also somewhat of an escape artist.
“He goes the same way. He knows where the escape route is, he knows how to get there,” she said. “I honestly don’t know, I just think he wants to go on an adventure.”
Vonu the tortoise, right, poses for a photo with his owner Erica Makofka. (Submitted)
That’s right, this isn’t the first time Vonu has struck out on his own. He’s been discovered loitering around the golf course more than once.
“I found him crossing the cart part out on hole 6 attempting to enter the long grassy area in the rough near a fenced-in area,” said course employee Chantel Diminie. “I picked him up and walked him down the cart paths, across the fairways until I could see his owner who lives nearby and walked onto the golf course to meet us.”
“He’s a bit of a celebrity here in Metchosin,” adds Makofka.
While Vonu has pulled the disappearing act before — once he was gone for a full two weeks before turning up — she’s still concerned that predators could get him.
“There are cougars and bears and they might toss him around a little bit,” she said.
At night, Vonu likely buries himself into the ground once it starts to get cold to conserve heat, and once the sun comes out he starts moving again.
Your best bet on where to find him? “He’s probably happy out there munching away, if somebody has a garden.”
Anybody who spots the trouble-making tortoise is asked to put him in a bin or container where he can’t get out and contact Makofka by emailing her at [email protected] to let her know Vonu has been found.
CHEK News
