Family Cleans House, Finds Pet Tortoise Missing Since 1982

After deciding to lastly clean the house, a family in Realengo, Brazil, discovered their long-lost pet tortoise.

The Almeida Family was devastated to find that Manuela, their red-footed tortoise, had vanished back in 1982.

The family imagined the tortoise had escaped through a door the renovation workers had left open while the house was being worked on, then vanished into the nearby forest.

But they were completely mistaken.

When the father passed away and the Almeida children came back to help clear out his messy storage closet, they discovered the real fate of their lost pet after 30 years had gone.

As it turned out, the father had a tendency to hoard, which is why the room was stuffed full of things.

Leandro’s son was cleaning out the house when a neighbor inquired about whether or not he planned to get rid of the tortoise as well.

“I placed the trash bag on the floor, but my neighbor only asked whether I planned to toss the turtle away as well. I went white and couldn’t believe it at the time, Leandro said to Globo TV.

The Almeidas discovered Manuela had managed to live alone for thirty years at that point.

She may have survived on termites, which, as a result of all that unused furniture, were probably in great numbers, according to her family.

Now Manuela travels throughout the house and entertains the generations she previously knew, along with new ones of the Almeida family.