A GRANDMOTHER has said her life has been “shattered” after her TWENTY tortoises were stolen – in what is believed to be the biggest heist of the animals to take place in the UK.
Perdita Morgan, 74, known as Dita, had owned some of the pets for half a century and had hand-reared many from birth.
Andrew StyczynskiThe grandmother is a self confessed ‘crazy tortoise lady’[/caption]
Andrew StyczynskiHer beloved pets were snatched away from her[/caption]
Last night she broke down as she told how she had been left feeling “totally numb” and “heartbroken” after the shocking break-in at her home in Bishop’s Stortford, Herts, which took place in broad daylight.
One of the tortoises was 120 years old.
Another – a 20kg leopard tortoise called “Mr Lepy” – was 50 years old.
Two baby hatchlings that were four years old were also stolen.
Speaking to The Sun, the mum-of-four and grandmother-to-eight said: “They are a part of me.
“They have been with me a majority of my life. I feel like my life has been shattered.
“I watched the babies as they were born, from the first crack of their shells, and now someone has taken them away from me.
“They won’t survive without the correct environment.”
Eleanor Tirtasana, manager of The Tortoise club which supports UK tortoise keepers, confirmed that the theft was the largest they believe to have ever taken place in Britain.
Eleanor, who has headed the club for 20-years, added: “This theft is a very misguided move due to the volume of tortoises in captivity and animals in desperate need of rehoming.
“Most of the tortoises taken have no legal value as they require special licenses to be sold on the open market.
“This is very unusual and I believe whoever has done this has not kept up with the current value of tortoises, they are not worth what they once were.
“Due to the long life of these animals a loss can be extremely painful to the owner. We urge anyone with information to step forward.”
Dita realised her beloved pets had been stolen at around 5pm on Wednesday when she went to check on them after a storm.
She added: “I just remember screaming as it dawned on me they had been taken. Everything came crashing down.
Andrew StyczynskiPerdita Morgan lost 20 of her pets in the raid[/caption]
Perdita said she was left devastated by the incident
The theft left Perdita ‘shattered’
“And now I keep thinking, what horrible situation are they in now?
“Whoever has taken them won’t have the right UV lights and know the correct hibernation process for each one.
“Mr Lepy will die if they try to hibernate him, he is not meant to hibernate.
“I just can’t put into words how much this has taken away from me and my family.”
In total, two leopard tortoises, 13 Hermann’s tortoises and five hatchlings were taken from the climate-controlled shed in the garden.
Tortoises are legal to own in the UK, but some species require a certificate and proper identification due to being on the CITES list of endangered species. The list includes Hermann’s and Marginated tortoises, which has led to them having a high street value.
Dita added: “I got my first tortoise at 25, I remember them being in the shop window and they were two shillings and sixpence.
“I just can’t understand how anyone could be so cruel to do this to me and my family.
“I keep thinking, ‘What have I ever done for this to happen to me?’”
Last night a Hertfordshire Police spokesperson said: “Police were called to reports of a burglary that occurred at an address on
Dunmow Road in Bishop’s Stortford on Wednesday 3 September.
“It is reported offender(s) broke into a shed and took 20 tortoises from it.
“If anyone has any information about the burglary, they can report it online at herts.police.uk/report, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact or call the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference number 41/83734/25.
“Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.”
Andrew StyczynskiTwo baby hatchlings that were four years old were also stolen[/caption]
Andrew StyczynskiOne of Perdita’s pets was 50-years-old[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
