Thieves steal sickly tortoise, Norman (From This is Hampshire)
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Thieves steal sickly tortoise, Norman
8:19am Friday 2nd November 2007 in News By Mike Didymus
Charles Waters: The owner of Finkley Down Farm Park standing next to the wagons destroyed by the larger wheels being stolen.
A tortoise stolen from Finkley Down Farm in Picket Piece is in danger of dying if not returned quickly, according to its owner.
Thieves snatched Norman, a 14-year-old leopard tortoise, from his enclosure in the Touch and Feel' barn at the family run farm between 8pm on Saturday and 4am on Sunday.
But farm owner Charles Waters said Norman, worth between £300 to £400, suffers from kidney problems and requires special care to survive. He said: "Our worry is that he's going to die unless he comes back to us.
"You've got to keep him in special conditions. It's not the sort of tortoise you can just keep in the garden. He doesn't hibernate and needs constant heat - if he's not cared for in the right way he might not survive."
The thieves also made off with three axle and wheel sets they sawed from a trio of antique Victorian carts.
Mr Waters said: "The bits we have got left have really had it now, they're just not worth keeping. Nothing else was taken so we think they specifically came in for these items. I think it's likely they'd been in the farm during the day and seen some things they wanted. I assumed it was kids at first and they'd just taken them for a laugh but it's definitely more organised than that."
Anyone who may have seen anything suspicious should contact Andover police on 08450 454 545.
