George's fable: the tortoise and the chair

LONDON - A giant tortoise called George had to be rescued by the British fire brigade after becoming entangled in a garden chair, its owner said Friday.

"All I could see was this chair walking around the garden by itself," said 45-year-old hairdresser Tina Jones, describing the moment she came home to find her stricken pet.

George, a 20-year-old South Africa Sulcata tortoise who is 30 inches across and 18 inches tall, became stuck in the chair's metal legs in Jones' back garden in Ramsden Heath, Essex, north of London.

"I couldn't get him free and ended up calling the fire brigade for help. The fireman cut one of the chair legs with a hacksaw," said Jones, who breeds giant tortoises as a hobby.

She explained that George was allowed to wander in the garden on sunny days.

"He's absolutely fine now. Wandering around as normal," she added. "He wasn't distressed. He's very nosey and will wander in the house if the back door is open."

Fireman Matt Furber said: "The tortoise was about the size of a dustbin lid. It had gone under one of those metal-framed garden chairs and got stuck. The chair had then sort of collapsed on it."

"Without doubt it's the strangest call I have ever received," he added.

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