By: Emily Wang

On July 21, 2024, a pet tortoise was found on train tracks in Berkshire, U.K. The pet giant tortoise was called Solomon, and probably managed to get into the station through a gate in their owner’s backyard fence.

During the hours of 6-7 pm, four trains were stopped in an attempt to get the tortoise off the tracks to safety. “We are sorry to any passengers who were disrupted during this incident. While we are delighted that this story has a happy ending and can reassure passengers that everyone was home safe, everyday ambitions extend to pets, we must remind everyone that the railway is dangerous” the Southern Western Railway staff said to the public.The SWR staff even gave the tortoise a ride on one of the trains.

I wonder how the tortoise himself felt about this whole ordeal. Imagine this: You wander out of your nest and arrive at a strange place with loads of giants like your servant/caretaker. You look at the bars running as far as the eye can see on the ground in front of you. All of a sudden, one of the giants sticks one of their thin claws at you and starts gibbering loudly, causing all the giants around to look.

You wonder “Why are the giants all looking?” When suddenly an orange giant comes running and scoops you up, and 3 more appear. All of a sudden, a rectangle monster crashes through and stops. The giants all get on it, and the orange giant brings you in the monster. When the monster stops, and the orange giant puts you down outside the monster, you see your servant/caretaker waddling towards you. As you arrive back at your nest, you can’t stop thinking about what just happened.

At first, plans were made to send Solomon to the nearest vet, but then they found out that Solomon’s owner contacted them and that they could come and pick Solomon up. “We also ask that our lineside neighbors ensure that their fencing is secure to prevent human, or animal incursions onto the track,” the SWR staff said.