Skipper the turtle and his owner Jesse Watson have been together for 8 years, and like any pet and their owner these two are very close. So last week when Jesse went to the backyard pond where Skipper lives to feed him, he was sad to see there was no trace of his pet.
Jesse checked the pond, the water filter and the rest of his backyard, but Skipper was nowhere to be found. Heartbroken, he posted a tribute to his lost friend on Facebook.
But two days later, Jesse got news that Skipper was alive and well.
A woman posted in a group for pet owners in Southern Australia that she had found a turtle wandering on the street. Skipper had managed to travel almost 2 kilometers in 2 days, traveling an average of 41 meters an hour - which is pretty fast for a turtle.
He also survived walking through traffic and the massive heat wave the country is experiencing, which is great news for Jesse. He says that Skipper is "like a dog to him" and he was glad to discover his pet was safe.
"I should start to call him Houdini now," Jesse told ABC. "I still don't know how he got out."
Somehow, Skipper managed to sneak under two different fences and past a dog during his escape. It may be unbelievable that a pet turtle managed all this, but Jesse knows that the turtle found near his home is Skipper, because of a distinctive mark on his shell.
These two friends are reunited now, and Skipper won't break out again anytime soon. He'll spend the rest of his days in a tank.
