A desperate community searching for a missing tortoise have been left fuming after a passer-by took a picture of the pet before driving off.
Tank vanished from a garden in the Bearsden area at around 10.30am on Tuesday, May 26, sparking a frantic search for the animal. The reptile, who is described as being 15cm in length and 10cm wide, was outside his home when he slowly pottered off, leaving his worried owners devastated.
Posters were quickly printed out and placed around the Douglas Park Crescent area, as neighbours took to the streets to help with the search. The poster read: “MISSING TORTOISE! Tank, our pet tortoise went missing from our garden in Bearsden on Tuesday 26th May, around 10.30am.’
View 3 ImagesMissing poster for Tank
The poster added that Tank is approximately 15cm in length and 10 cm wide and that he was ‘possibly taken by a local neighbourhood cat’.
Locals were then left furious, however, when a picture of Tank walking down a nearby street appeared on social media several days later.
A picture of a tortoise, believed to be Tank, slowly moving down the road was posted on the Bearsden Community Facebook page, alongside the caption: “Making its way along Reid Avenue.”
Social media users were left fuming that the person had time to take the picture, without the rescuing the animal. One person wrote: “To whoever took the photo of the stray tortoise in Bearsden you should have had the common sense to stop and make sure it didn’t get hit by a car.”
Another added: “Don’t ask me why someone saw a tortoise wandering down the road and never picked it up!”
View 3 ImagesThe post appeared on the local community page(Image: Facebook)
However others were quick to defend the actions, with one saying: “Get a grip it was a child. Give your head a wobble.. and sometimes people just simply can’t stop.”
Another added: “The original photo was taken by a child from a car which was rushing in an emergency situation. I’m afraid the tortoise was not the priority. The child then sent the photo to his mother who was at work, helpless. She then posted on here as it was the best she could do in the circumstances. She could have ignored the whole event. Instead of making negative comments, about this, why not spend your time helping to look for it.”
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Tank’s owner Gordon Johnston explained that the animal has still not been found, with searches still ongoing. He added: “Most likely he is in a garden on Douglas Park Crescent, around No 56 – 70 ish. I’ve looked up the road for him a few times today but no sign. Weather is warm so he is probably eating weeds right now.”
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