Nathalye De Almeida tells how her family had a pet tortoise when her mother was a child, but one day in 1982, he was just gone. The eight-year-old loved that tortoise and never forgot Manuela. Nathalye heard tales of Manuela the whole time she was growing up. But no one knew where the tortoise had gone.
Until 2013. After Nathalye's grandfather passed away, the family had to sort his possessions. They went up into the attic, where stuff had been stored away for years and years. They found Manuela in a speaker cabinet. What's more, the tortoise was alive! Nathalye's mother was brought to tears by the discovery. How did the tortoise survive in the attic so long? The family believes Manuela must have been eating termite larva. Almost ten years later, the tortoise is still with the family, and is healthy. Except now he is called Manuel, since they found out he is male. Read more on this story at The Dodo.
(Image source: Joao Leomi Silva Nunes)