Sallyanne Brooksbank with her Hermann’s tortoise – SWNS

A tortoise that had been missing for a month after escaping her garden was found three miles away—having gone on the run at a brisk pace of 0.0041 miles per hour.

The Hermann’s tortoise named Matilda managed to scale a zucchini plant to pull off her daring escape and slow getaway in early July.

The 10-year-old reptile then managed to negotiate several neighbor’s’ fences, dodge cars while crossing a road, and traverse a stream in the Leicestershire countryside of England.

Owner Sallyanne Brooksbank said she’d given up hope of seeing Matilda again after a month without any sightings.

But the tiny runaway reptile, which is barely the size of a saucer, was discovered last week in a field by pedestrians who were concerned about its safety so brought it into a local clothing shop.

Sallyanne then spotted her missing tortoise on Facebook when the shopkeeper posted about the discovery online.

Shop owner David Howley wrote: “The young girl thought she was going to tread on it because it was so well hidden. She put it in her t-shirt and brought it here.”

Matilda, a Hermann’s tortoise – SWNS

From the moment the tortoise was discovered it took just a little over four hours until the woman called to inquire about Matilda.

“She had a mark on her and they described it perfectly, they lived around three miles away so she had moved like a rocket,” the shopkeeper joked.

Delighted at her good fortune, Sallyanne has now been reunited with her beloved pet and says it was a “miracle” she survived after traveling the impressive distance.

“We searched the garden over and over, and I thought we’d never see her again,” the 55-year-old told SWNS news. “She must have had quite an adventure.”

Sallyanne believes her tortoise headed in the direction of the nearby village of Sewstern, somehow surviving busy roads and water crossings.

“We wish she could speak.”

The escape

The last time she was home, she was inside a raised garden bed made of wood, about 12 inches tall and full of veggies and bean plants.

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“It’s dug out to make sure she can’t get out, so she either climbed or just jumped out of it.

“She’s not very agile, but I think she may have climbed up a courgette stalk (a British zucchini) to get out of the garden.

“She has tiny claws and we think she clawed up the stem of the plants. She then headed off in the direction of Sewstern.

Rural Wymondham sign in England – SWNS

“We’ve been trying to work out her route, but it has to have been through several fences, across fields, a ditch, a road, a stream and who knows what else.

“She would’ve definitely crossed roads and dodged cars.”

The family don’t know who found their cherished pet, but they hope to eventually track them down and thank them.

“She could have been attacked by badgers or foxes or squashed by a car, but she seems fine.

“There are no marks on her shell, and she gobbled up the food we gave her.

“She seems happy to be home, and I know we are happy to have her back.

“We bought her for my son Rory when he was 12-years-old back in September 2013.”

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“She was a hatchling and only the size of a coin. She was tiny.

“The people who picked her up were walking towards Sewsterns when they spotted her. It’s amazing they saw her really.

“I’m very nervous about leaving her out at night now. She’s proved to be very adventurous indeed.”

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