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Surprise rescue mission carried out as 90-year-old tortoise is saved from bin collection

Surprise rescue mission carried out as 90-year-old tortoise is saved from bin collectionZuma, a 90-year-old tortoise, had all hands on deck when he was reported missing by his owner after he managed to find his way into a bag of waste in his home in London.

Sarah Joiner, 56, called inspectors at Westminster City Council, when she noticed her pet tortoise, which she has owned for over 40 years, had gone missing.

As Joiner made the call, little Zuma was in fact quite happy, as he travelled in the back of a refuse lorry on his way to a Veolia operated waste treatment facility, along with 10 tonnes of waste. 

Luckily for Zuma, the alarm was raised while the lorry was still on its rounds and he had not yet been tipped into a storage bunker amongst thousands of tonnes of waste.

After the whereabouts of Zuma’s getaway vehicle was tracked by GPS satellite tracking, the driver was directed to the centre in order to start the rescue mission. 

Joiner arrived at the waste treatment facility and was given a safety brief before she pulled on protective clothing and got stuck into the search for her beloved tortoise alongside a team of waste management staff.

After two and a half hours of trawling through waste, Zuma was eventually located with the help of a thermal imaging camera. Reunited with his relieved owner, Zuma was safe and well, and quite unaware of his nearly fatal adventure. 

Joiner said: “Thank you is never going to be enough. It was amazing teamwork; there was no nonsense about it just enormous goodwill in finding him. I can’t thank Jarno Stet from the council, Lynn Davis from Veolia, plus Ben Gillett and Simon Lane from Veolia enough.”

Cllr Melvyn Caplan, Westminster City Council’s Cabinet Member for City Management and Customer Services, said: “We’ve all had that feeling of panic when we realise we’ve lost something, but when it’s a much loved family pet then it really is a disaster. On this occasion the understanding and hard work of our waste services staff is an exemplar of how we strive to ensure our residents receive outstanding customer service. This example of going above and beyond what is required is one Westminster can be proud of, and I commend our staff and colleagues at Veolia for pulling out the stops to ensure a successful reunion between Zuma and Sarah.”

Lynn Davis, Contract Manager, said: "I'm delighted we were able to find Zuma and return him to Mrs Joiner unharmed, he really has survived against the odds. The team were all keen to help when they heard what had happened and together we were able to ensure that the search was conducted safely and effectively. This was certainly a different way to spend a Friday afternoon and I'm just relieved we were successful."

It seems, for Zuma at least, you’re never too old for an adventure!