This is not a gene mutation. This poor dear spent a great deal of its life wrapped up in a milk ring or some other, probably plastic, man made piece of trash. There are much worse cases (scroll down a bit).

Also, this animal is a red-eared slider, which is called a "turtle" in these parts. Your parts may vary.

The story, or at least photos, of Owen & Mzee have been making the e-mail rounds recently, some two and a half years after they bonded after the Indonesia tsunami. Here is a brand new interview with the author of Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship and the new Owen & Mzee: The Language of Friendship:

Up Close: Owen & Mzee author Craig Hatkoff

For those who are just getting acquainted with this adorable relationship, here are links galore:

Owen & Mzee
Another Happy and Successful Adoption Story
Owen and Mzee's Web Log
Owen and Mzee Wikipedia entry
NPR: A Hippo and Tortoise Tale
YouTube: Owen and Mzee

Not since the tragic, untimely death of Steve Irwin has my inbox been flooded with so much press attention on one subject. Bob, an African spurred tortoise belonging to the Sullivan family of Ventura, California, was stolen from the Sullivans' yard last weekend. The good news is that Bob was found. The bad news is that he was first mutilated: apparently the thieves attempted to remove him from his shell. The tortoise is currently in intensive care and, from what I've read, things are looking good for Bob's future. The Sullivans' son William, an autistic six year old, is having a difficult time understanding what has happened to the animal who actually brought William out of his shell (in a good way) a couple years back: before William bonded with Bob, William never spoke to humans.

Police are offering a reward of $1000 for information leading authorities to the perpetrators. The Humane Society is offering an additional reward up to $2500. If you have any information to pass on, there's your incentive, so please call the police at 339-4394 or make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers at 385-TALK. (I'm guessing the area code is 805.)

Here is a smattering of links to articles and blog entries about Bob's plight.
Bob the Stolen and Tortured Tortoise - video of Bob, family, and doctors
Autistic Boy's Tortured Tortoise Is Recovering
Calif. tortured tortoise recovering
SoCal couple's pet tortoise stolen and tortured, police say
Humane Society offers reward in tortoise case
Tortoise condition improves, fund set up for vet bills
Autistic child's tortoise stolen, mutilated
CookiesInHeaven blog entries, chronicling Bob's plight

Your lovely hostess, Turtledown, will be soon be on vacation through the end of this month. I had hoped to post some more chelonian items before I left, but there is just no time.

I'll be in Iowa, searching for Iowan shelled critters along my way. Enjoy the remainder of July!