Family stunned to find their pet Joey the tortoise is actually a girl after 95 YEARS
A PET tortoise thought to be a boy for 95 years turned out to be a girl.
Joey finally came out of her shell at a vet's examination shortly before her death from a stomach tumour last week.
2
The African spurred tortoise was bought from high street chain Woolworths in 1930 by Louise Dimmock, as a gift for son Alan.
Joey spent the next nine decades being passed down through the family — ending up with Alan's granddaughter Lorraine Steward.
The cabin crew trainee, 43, said: 'We always thought he was a boy until we took him to the vets to be examined before his death.
'We knew something was wrong as he wasn't taking his food.
'He had never needed to go to the vet before and it's difficult to check the gender. They were stunned he had done so well.
'They were examining him and revealed, 'I'm led to believe he's actually a girl'.
'We couldn't believe it. Maybe he was more of a Josephine than a Joey all this time. But after knowing him as a boy for 95 years, we're not going to change now.'
Joey, who ate lettuce and strawberries, was well-known among locals in Whitwell, Herts.
Lorraine added: 'We will all miss him greatly. He lived a simple life. He was very low maintenance and happy as anything.'
2
Giant tortoise found again after it was believed to be extinct for a century
21 PMs AND NINE POPES
OVER her 95 years Joey never strayed any further than her home village, even surviving a German shell landing in the garden during World War Two.
She also lived through:
Twenty-one prime ministers.
Five monarchs, stretching back to George V, left.
Sixteen Presidents of the US.
Nine popes.
World War Two.
Twenty-one England football managers — and one World Cup victory.
And 22 Olympics.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Move on from a bad workplace
Re Zoe Williams's article (MI6 has appointed its first female leader. What took it so long?, 16 June), after being told by my (new, younger, male) boss that I was 'motherly' and 'aggressive', I handed in my notice. Shame I had to leave the job I loved, but better that than working for dickheads. If they're not interested in you, it is not worth trying to change them from within. Move on to where you are appreciated; good workplaces do JacksonLondon While not wishing to doubt the sincerity of Marci Shore, who said 'The lesson of 1933 is you get out sooner rather than later', and her fellow professors, should they not be anticipating the lesson of 1938 and move further away from the US than Canada (Why a professor of fascism left the US: 'The lesson of 1933 is – you get out', 16 June)?Robert Arrowsmith Blackburn, Lancashire I am a retired teacher, and one morning I asked one of my students: 'How are you this morning?'. 'I'm good,' she replied. 'Don't you mean 'I'm well?'' 'Yeah, I'm well good.' Language evolves, and changes, and the younger generation is always one step (at least) ahead of us (Letters, 20 June).Iain FentonLancaster 'When did cooks start pan‑frying rather than just frying?' asks Dr Mary Oldham (Letters, 18 June). About the same time that they started oven MaltBythorn, Cambridgeshire 'What else can you fry in?' asks Dr Mary Oldham. A deep fat fryer. Or an air EvansEarby, Lancashire Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Hull's Queen's Gardens opening date pushed back to 2026
Hull's revamped Queen's Gardens is now not expected to fully reopen until early May, the city council said it expected the project, costing more than £21m, to be completed later this authority insisted the delay was not due to any major setbacks, adding it was an update to the schedule. Leader Mike Ross said: "I know people are eager to see the gardens fully reopen, but work of this scale and quality takes time. We know that it's going to be fantastic when people are able to enjoy the space again." According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, much of the work had been completed, with two large ponds refurbished with new filtration systems and fountains. Ross said the area around the Rose Bowl fountain would reopen to the public "very soon".Recently, 1,280 wildflowers were visited the site to help plant blooms, such as foxgloves, primroses, bluebells and wood avens, which were provided by the charity Mires Beck in North Cave, the nursery provides opportunities for adults living with learning difficulties and physical disabilities, and is a leading supplier of Dutch, the charity's team leader, said it was a privilege to have been part of the project. Ross added: "We know that it's going to be fantastic when people are able to enjoy the space again."A tremendous amount of work has taken place and it will be a brilliant space for people to enjoy, whether it's just to come and spend time or for cultural events and other activities." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Major search for missing aircraft that sent panicked mayday call before vanishing near UK beach as helicopter deployed
A FRANTIC search has been launched to find an aircraft after crew activated a mayday beacon before vanishing. The distress signal went off close to Hemsby Gap shoreline, in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, this afternoon. Humber Coastguard confirmed the alarm was raised at around 12.34pm. The aircraft had been spotted above the sea on FlightRadar24, but has since disappeared and is feared to have crashed. There are four Hembsy Lifeboats at the scene at present, with officials saying the search could continue for " a while". A helicopter is also involved in the frantic rescue operation. Norfolk Constabulary and ambulance services arrived at the scene at just before 4pm. It is not known how many people were on the aircraft, nor any details of the plane itself. A spokeswoman for Hemsby Lifeboat helm, said: 'We are still doing a search of the area, a boxed search. 'The last known location is two to three nautical miles offfshore at Hemsby Gap.' It is still unknown if there have been any fatalities or injuries. 1
