Pampered turtle survives two weeks on her own in the mountains
Pat Benedict|Special to the Daily |
EDWARDS — Rosie the red-eared slider turtle scaled a 10 inch wall and had herself a mile-long adventure.
Rosie is a great indoorsman. She weighs about 4 pounds and is 9 inches long. Last fall, before these storms hit the area, Rosie apparently wanted to see what was on the other side of the wall and outside the patio where she was being kept at the Benedict home, near the top of Homestead. She climbed over it and disappeared for two weeks.
Pat Benedict and her son, Ben, did all the lost-pet stuff.
They sent an email to the neighborhood and enlisted the neighborhood kids to help look for her. They stapled fliers on the sign posts.
“When we didn’t find her by nightfall, I was sure she was gone for good,” Pat said.
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Rosie is a bit pampered. She’s fed turtle chow, and the water in her tank is kept at exactly 78 degrees. Ben and Pat said they doubted Rosie could survive 40 degree nights.
The Benedicts searched for a few more days, especially near the pond, but they finally packed up the turtle gear.
Two weeks later, the Benedict clan was camping near Dillon Reservoir when Pat got a call.
“I think I have your missing turtle,” the woman said.
Ben is 9 years old and a student at Stone Creek Charter School.
“When I told my son about it and he was over the moon,” Pat said.
The woman’s friend was walking her dog on the open space on Gold Dust Drive, and the dog started sniffing at something near a fence. It turned out to be Rosie.
“How she survived the cold nights without food and managed to travel a dozen blocks, over busy roads and through open fields only Rosie knows. And she’s not talking,” Pat said.
Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 and rwyrick@vaildaily.com.
