PORTLAND, Ore. — A runaway tortoise named Bowser has been returned home safe after two days on the lam in Southeast Portland.
Officers were out near Southeast Flavel Street with Street Services Coordination notifying people who are homeless about the expected heat wave and handing out bottled water around 10 a.m. on Thursday when they spotted something unusual — a seemingly unfazed tortoise walking down the middle of the path.
Realizing that it may be a runaway pet, officers picked up and secured the tortoise, Portland police said.
"One thing about police work is you never know what you are going to get," said Sgt. Kevin Allen. "And this is one of those bizarre days where you just have to laugh... fortunately, the tortoise is not fast and so they were able to catch up to him pretty quickly."
Multnomah County Animal Control sent an officer, who determined that the tortoise's name was Bowser. He had been reported missing from his home two days prior, about a half-mile away on Southeast Claybourne Street.
KGW met his owner, Jasmine Sprague, who said at less than 10 years old, Bowser is just a baby.
"He can live to be 150," she said, "We joke all the time that our kids' grandkids will have him someday!"
On Tuesday, she said the gate was left open, and Bowser escaped his fenced-in yard. They'd been searching the neighborhood for days, hoping to find him.
"We know he likes blackberries and dandelions, and so, we were searching yards and bushes," Sprague said, "When Multnomah County Animal Services called me this morning and said that they found him down at 92nd and Flavel, I could hardly believe it."
It's unclear where Bowser had been for the prior two days or how he traversed the highway, Portland police said. He may have gone down the Springwater Corridor Trail, which goes under Interstate 205. But now, Bowser is safely home after exploring some of Portland on his meandering walk.
"I was really thankful," said Sprague, "It was really sad to come out here in the morning and not see him, splayed out and sunbathing."
