Frank the Tank, a tortoise found wandering in a B.C. field, needs a home

With a name like Frank the Tank, you might think nothing could stop the 16-kilogram sulcata tortoise, but wandering alone on farmland near Richmond, B.C., certainly slowed him down.

Shelley Smith was one of the first to spot Frank moving slowly in a field of bok choy near her house about two weeks ago, just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Smith said several construction workers nearby pointed to something that looked like a rock. Then the rock moved.

“I was like, 'Oh! It's a freaking turtle wandering along very slowly,” said Smith. “I am like, 'I can't leave you here.”'

One of the construction workers helped her pick up the tortoise and it was placed in a plastic kiddie pool that she originally bought for her dog.

She then reached out to the SPCA for help.

“We're all petting him, and his feet were massive. They look like elephant feet,” she said, adding that it was an awesome experience to have a close encounter with a tortoise.

When the SPCA later asked on the phone about the animal's size, possibly comparing it to a small plate, Smith had to correct their assumptions.

“It's the size of a giant serving platter that you are going to put a turkey (on) that you have cooked for 24 people,” she recalled telling them.

Frank was picked up by the society and went on to an animal hospital in Maple Ridge for a health check. The Maple Ridge Community Animal Centre later provided foster care.

Dr. Adrian Walton, lead veterinarian and owner of Dewdney Animal Hospital, said when Frank was first brought in, he appeared to be a bit on the quiet and lethargic side.

The tortoise had an upper respiratory infection after being outside in the cold, he said.

The tortoise is endangered in its native Africa, but Walton said they lay many eggs and juveniles sold in Canada can range in price from $450 to $750, he said. They are often smuggled in, he added.

Sulcata tortoises can live 100 to 150 years and reach up to 90 kilograms and are “very curious and strong diggers,” Walton said.

Anyone thinking about adopting Frank would need “reinforced housing” and shelter inside through the winter months, he said.

Kahlee Demers, manager at the Maple Ridge Community Animal Centre, said it's the first time a tortoise has been brought into their shelter, describing him as “stoic, docile and large.”

No one came forward to claim him, she said.

“Once I got him into his foster home, I asked his foster home dad what he would like to call him, and his response was Frank the Tank.

“He is such a big guy, and he is gonna be even bigger,” said Demers, adding “the name suits him.”

Demers said they have been trying to make Frank's living space as natural as possible by providing him with hay and grass, which is his primary diet.

Demers said tons of people have already reached out, saying they want to adopt Frank, but they are only accepting applications from people who are experienced reptile owners.

The mystery remains about where Frank came from.

Smith said when she found Frank he was heading east, but the neighbour next door doesn't own him.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2023.