Iowa museum visitor finds missing 18-pound tortoise alive in an elevator two days after it disappeared
An 18-pound African leopard tortoise that went missing from an Iowa museum has been found alive in an elevator in the building.
Officials at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque believe the tortoise named Cashew was stolen, but that the thief quietly returned the animal, local news channel KWWL-TV reported.
The museum says a visitor found Cashew on the elevator floor Thursday.
The museum's president and chief executive Jerry Enzler told KWWL that Cashew, whose identity they confirmed, is in good health.
They will still give her an examination to be sure of that, Enzler said.
Museum employees discovered Cashew was missing on Tuesday from an exhibit with a 4-foot glass wall.
Enzler said he suspected that she was taken as a prank or possibly to sell.
He said he believes that someone sneaked Cashew back into the museum and put her on the elevator thanks to the initial media attention surrounding her disappearance.
Museum officials are reviewing surveillance video to try to figure out exactly what happened and find a possible suspect.
Officials at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque believe the tortoise named Cashew was stolen, but that the thief quietly returned the animal, local news channel KWWL-TV reported.
The museum says a visitor found Cashew on the elevator floor Thursday.
Tortoise returned: Cashew, an 18-pound African
leopard tortoise that went missing from an Iowa museum, has been found
alive in an elevator in the building
Surprising find: The museum says a visitor found Cashew on the elevator floor Thursday
They will still give her an examination to be sure of that, Enzler said.
Museum employees discovered Cashew was missing on Tuesday from an exhibit with a 4-foot glass wall.
Enzler said he suspected that she was taken as a prank or possibly to sell.
He said he believes that someone sneaked Cashew back into the museum and put her on the elevator thanks to the initial media attention surrounding her disappearance.
Museum officials are reviewing surveillance video to try to figure out exactly what happened and find a possible suspect.
Taken from display: Museum employees discovered
Cashew was missing on Tuesday from an exhibit with a 4-foot glass wall
(Not the exhibit pictured)
Safe and sound: The museum¿s president and chief
executive Jerry Enzler said he believes that someone sneaked Cashew
back into the museum and put her on the elevator thanks to the initial
media attention surrounding her disappearance