Beloved tortoise returns home after five days on the loose

On most days, Braden Pines’ Derek White describes his approximately 90-pound, 12-year-old sulcata tortoise, Darwin, “like a lazy dog.”

However, every once in a while, Darwin likes to roam. 

For a notoriously slow-moving animal, White said he has to check on him nearly every five minutes when he’s out of his enclosure because Darwin can disappear fast. 

About three years ago, White received a call from a neighbor that Darwin was spotted crossing State Road 70. White said the tortoise almost made it to the Goodwill in Ranch Lake Plaza.

For five long days between April 14 and April 19, Darwin roamed only he knows where.

Tortoises such as Darwin are known escape artists. A sulcata tortoise named Stitch made international news last August because he traveled 3 miles after escaping from an ostrich ranch in Arizona. 

Stitch was found “inching its way across Interstate 10,” according to the BBC report. 

In 2023, a sulcata named Jeremy went viral for escaping his Texas home more than a dozen times in a year. Jeremy’s owners, Christian and Lisa Seger, described him as “smarter than a human toddler.” 

White talks about Darwin like anyone else would talk about their dog, except that he noted Darwin doesn’t do tricks. 

Because White handles the yard work, he spends the most time with Darwin. He referred to the tortoise as his “best friend.”  

The family home sits on nearly 2 acres, and Darwin’s luxury enclosure is about 600 square feet. When Darwin is let out, he follows White around as only man’s best friend would. 

Darwin also gets “sassy” if something is planted in his enclosure that he doesn’t like. He typically returns to his “cave” to sulk for the day. If he comes out, he refuses to make eye contact with anyone. 

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He doesn’t interact with the family cat or any of the dozen chickens, except Dolly. White said Dolly isn’t the prettiest chicken, but she has the biggest personality in the flock. 

Dolly also follows White around like a dog, so she perches on Darwin’s back during the rounds sometimes. 

Darwin is so thoroughly loved as part of the family that when he went missing, “Lost Tortoise” flyers were posted all over the internet and the area. White said the whole neighborhood was looking for him. 

White and his wife, Amanda Yoder, feared the worst because people often confuse turtles and tortoises. 

The couple’s biggest worry, outside of Darwin being hit by a car, was that in an effort to help, someone would throw him in water. 

Sulcata tortoises are native to the Sahara Desert. While Darwin has a small pond in his enclosure from which to drink, he would sink to the bottom if thrown into a pond. 

Usually, if Darwin escapes, he’s found within a half hour, so five days was nerve-wracking. 

On top of Darwin’s disappearance, White’s oldest child, 19-year-old Noah White, is a student at Florida State University, where a shooting occurred April 17. 

Noah White was located unharmed, and Darwin returned to the front yard two days later. 

“Oh my God, it was a stressful week,” White said. “It was early evening when Darwin showed back up, which makes me think maybe he thought, ‘I’m going home to sleep. I’ve had enough of this. There’s no cucumbers out there.’”

Yoder left a trail of cucumbers and watermelon leading home in hopes Darwin would pick up the scent of his favorite foods. 

Noah White is the oldest child within a blended family of four children. As the oldest, White said he’s had several discussions with his son about Darwin being a “multi-generational tortoise.”

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Yoder’s father built the house, so the plan is to keep it in the family. Whichever child inherits the home also inherits Darwin. Sulcata tortoises can live to be 150, so the whole inheritance thing might happen a few fimes. 

The whole family, immediate and extended, loves Darwin, and he loves them back. 

Yoder said that when he hears music playing, he starts knocking at the door, so he'll be let out of his enclosure. 

It was actually a family game of cornhole that distracted the humans long enough for the tortoise to get away.

The gate was accidentally left open. 

However, Darwin was described as both strong and determined. When he was first brought home in 2019, he pushed over the first fence that enclosed him. 

White installed a new fence and has had to regularly reinforce it since. He also buried rocks under the ground to prevent escapes. 

Since Darwin's recent escapades, White and Yoder found a veterinarian for exotic pets in Venice that will chip him. 

While the chip won’t actually help locate Darwin if he goes missing again, it will identify him if someone brings him to a shelter or rescue.