LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One of the Louisville Nature Center's missing turtles has been returned after being taken from an outdoor enclosure last weekend, staff said.
The nature center said Thursday that two box turtles, "Chocolate" and "Jack," had been missing for days.
Staff were particularly worried about Chocolate, a beloved favorite with staff and students, since he could not care for himself in the wild.
Rebecca Minnick, executive director of the Louisville Nature Center, said the search for Jack continues but he can at least survive in the wild on his own.
Minnick said someone who knows about reptiles found Chocolate loose, wandering around the nature center on Friday and could tell that he wouldn’t survive on his own. The man took Chocolate home out of concern.
"[The person] then saw on social media that we wanted him back, so he was kind enough to reach out and bring him back to us,” Minnick added.
Chocolate has been in the care of the nature center for several years, officials said. He was found wandering around and believed to be an abandoned pet.
"He had not been taken care of properly, resulting in deformities that make him unable to dig a hole to hibernate in, and unable to fully retract into his shell for protection," the center wrote in the Facebook post.
Minnick said the outpouring of support from the community was heartwarming to see. The original post was shared more than 8,000 times, she added.
"That really meant a lot to us that so many people reached out," she said. "A lot of people generously offered their turtles, we're not accepting any more, but we appreciate people thinking about us."
Minnick said the nature center will be launching a fundraiser to build a more secure turtle habitat.
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