Call for proper pet labelling after unfortunate tortoise drowning incident
36-year-old Julie Stewart has called for the introduction of a universal pet labelling system after tragically mistaking her neighbour’s tortoise for a terrapin.
‘I’d just fed their cat and spotted a terrapin near the roses,’ she said. ‘Without giving it a second thought, I popped it back into the pond with the other terrapins. I only twigged something was wrong when my neighbours returned from holiday and mentioned that the tortoise had gone missing. I think I gave the game away when I asked if tortoises could swim.’
But Ms Stewart claims the tragedy could have been avoided with a modest label reading ‘Tortoise – do not immerse in water’. ‘It’s these little things that make the difference. I’m just glad I noticed when I did the ‘Cat – do not microwave’ sign.’
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Posted: Sep 22nd, 2010 by Stan Laurel
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