Update, July 21, 12:15 p.m.: There is now a reward up for grabs for the safe return of Millennium, the tortoise that went missing from Alley Pond Environmental Center in Queens Monday.
As police are still investigating the whereabouts of Millennium, who left behind brokenhearted staffers and his shell-shocked companion, Mini Me, PETA is offering a reward for his safe return.
“Millennium was the victim of a brazen kidnapping, and his fate now is unknown,” PETA Vice President of Communications Colleen O’Brien said in a statement. “PETA is calling on anyone with information to come forward so that this tortoise can be safely returned and those responsible held accountable.”
The reward for his return to APEC is up to $5,000.
If you have any info about Millennium’s disappearance, please call NYPD’s 111th Precinct at 718-279-5200.
Original story, Wednesday, July 19, 2:44 p.m.: A tortoise that went missing from a Queens environmental education facility Monday is missed not only by the humans who loved and cared for him, but also a fellow tortoise who has been his best friend for the past six years.
“You can tell she misses the companionship,” Venus Hall, educator at Alley Pond Environmental Center in Douglaston, told Metro Wednesday of Mini Me, who was Millennium’s companion.
Millennium, an African spurred tortoise that was rescued by APEC 12 years ago, was reported missing on Monday afternoon after he couldn’t be found in one of his usual haunts or burrows in his garden area.
After a closer inspection, staffers noticed that a back gate in the garden had been tinkered with, leading them to believe that Millennium had been stolen and hadn’t burrowed under the gate, Hall told DNAinfo on Tuesday.
APEC did not have any surveillance cameras centered on the area, but it is something that the facility might consider in the near future, Hall told Metro.
Metro: Have there been any updates on Millennium’s whereabouts?
Venus Hall: Not at this time. A lot of people are calling concerned, but we have nothing yet.
How has his absence affected Mini Me?
The first morning she was actually not aggressive, but we had her inside, and she was knocking things over. She’s more lethargic than normal.
What dangers are facing Millennium if he’s not cared for properly?
He needs a large area to walk around and burrow. If they don’t have him in enclosure, he can burrow himself out of any simple yard. It’s a danger to be hit by car if he gets out on his own or he could get into things like pesticides that are in those kinds of yards.
