Beloved Pet Tortoise Returned After Florida Man Pays $1K “Ransom”

I had a pet tortoise once. Her name was Mrs. Doubtfire. One day I came home to my house in Cape Coral and Mrs. Doubtfire had disappeared. Vanished. I thought she was maybe stolen. But in reality, she just kinda disappeared. Turns out, Mrs. Doubtfire was a Mr. and it was mating season. Luckily, I had a good neighbor that brought her... I mean him,  back to me free of charge.  The same can't be said of today's Florida Man, Merrick Westlund, a resident of Largo. According to News10,  he had to pay a hefty $1,000 fee to bring back his beloved African sulcata  pet tortoise, Shelby, from a nearby animal sanctuary. Shelby had been Westlund's best buddy for 18 years but went missing one day, leaving Westlund really sad. Listen, I get it. If your pet tortoise goes missing, it's a bad day. And that tortoise meant the world to Merrick! After searching high and low, Merrick finally got leads that led him to the sanctuary owner who had his pet tortoise Shelby. The owner confessed to having Shelby but shockingly demanded payment for her safe return. Wow! That almost feels like ransom to me. Merrick even got the authorities involved but eventually gave into the owner's demand for cash for HIS pet tortoise. Pet Tortoise: The owner defended his actions by saying that he had to pick the animal up and board the animal. You know, the one that wasn't his. Oh, did I mention this owner was featured in the Tiger King  documentary? That should say it all.  Merrick criticized the owner for not exploring other avenues to reunite Shelby with her rightful owner. Under Florida law, there could be grounds for Merrick's claim considering animals as property, so maybe he has a shot at getting his money back. Despite all the drama, I would imagine that Merrick felt relief at Shelby's safe return. He had better make sure to build a better enclosure so she doesn't escape again.  He doesn't want to be shell shocked by another disappearing act. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPm_syFcc4k [select-listicle listicle_id="373193" syndication_name="15-fictional-pets-you-wish-were-your-own" description="yes"]