Garden State Tortoise Shines Again And Steps Forward To Provide Beloved Tortoise A Forever Home
Tommy has spent the last 35 years with Judith Patience in Asheville, North Carolina, and has been her beloved companion for all these years. Believe it or not, Tommy is a Desert Tortoise, and has been cared for with the precision and dedication that a mother would give to her children; however Patience is 74 years old and she is beginning to worry about her hard-shelled companion. She expects Tommy to outlive her, and her concerns lie in his fate after she passes. After putting a request in the newspaper for someone to provide a loving home for her pet, more than 150 responses flooded her mailbox, an overwhelming and unexpected result to her plea. The story gets even better as she responded to an inquiry from Arizona, who then referred her to the prestigious Garden State Tortoise, a chelonian facility dedicated to the conservation of turtles and tortoises from around the world as well as public education. Chris Leone, the owner of this tortoise sanctuary, accepted Tommy as the newest member at his facility and he will join other members of his species living out his long life in a tortoise paradise. Patience states that she feels an overwhelming sense of relief that her much-loved companion has a safe and permanent home at Garden State Tortoise, and she is thankful for the never-ending support of her community that allowed her to find such a perfect home for her hard-shelled pet.
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Photo from Angeli Wright.
