Missing pet tortoise found alive in attic after thirty years!

When it comes right down to it, pets are a bloody important part of life. Yeah, nah, it’s true. Whether you like cats, dogs, fish, birds, or any of the other amazing creatures we keep for love and companionship, one thing they all have in common is that they teach us how to manage life’s biggest emotions – so when Manuela the tortoise went missing in 1982, her owners had to deal with all the grief that comes with that. Of course, there was a big f**ken plot twist when the reptile turned up alive and well thirty years later – in the attic!

To cut a long story fairly short, this one comes from Nathalye De Almeida. Nat – as we’ll call her – always used to hear heartbreaking stories about her mum’s beloved pet when she was growing up. That’s because the tortoise, known at the time as Manuela, went missing when Mama Almeida was only 8 years old.

Credit: Nathalye De Almeida

Naturally, they assumed the critter had wandered off and never returned. Thirty years later, though, they made a f**ken HUGE discovery. When Grandma Almeida died, the family had just started emptying the attic when they found Manuela.

Credit: Nathalye De Almeida

Yeah, no s**t, the tortoise had survived thirty f**ken years in a box. We’ve no idea how it got there, but it had apparently survived by eating termite larvae. And let’s be real, thirty years is a long-ass time. Nat said, “We were shocked! My mom arrived crying because she didn’t believe it. They found Manuela!”

Credit: Nathalye De Almeida

Now, some ten years – and the discovery that Manuela is actually Manuel – later, the family is stoked to report that Manuel is doing better than ever. “Manuel is doing great. He’s grown a lot,” Almeida said. “I brought him in to live with me because I have a lot of affection for him.”

Credit: Nathalye De Almeida

Better still, Mama Almeida and Manuel are catching up for the years of love they missed out on. Nat reckons, “She visits him weekly, happy to see my daughter with him. She feeds him, pets him and kisses him. He’s part of our family. He is one of us.”

F**K YES, MANUEL. F**K YES!

Final thought: We bloody love a happy animal story and while there’s undoubtedly some darkness to spending thirty years in an attic, we like to think Manuel would have been quite happy munching on termites and living his best life. Yeah, nah, if you’ve got similar stories of survival, let us know in the comments section!

Just in case you missed it, here’s one of Ozzy’s classic commentary videos…Ozzy Man Reviews: Tortoise VS Cat

H/T: 9GAG.