The Manuela pet turtle belonged to the Almeida family of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The tortoise was a pet that Lenita Almeida had as a little girl. However, Manuela vanished in 1982. The family was heartbroken.
They could think of no other explanation other than Manuela crawling out into the jungle when construction workers accidentally left a door open.
Let’s jump forward thirty years.
When Lenita’s father, Lionel Almeida, passed away in January 2013, his children decided to clean up a storage area their father had used while they could still make use of the extra room by going up to the second floor.
Lenita’s brother Leandro discovered a package containing a vintage record player. When he went to throw it out, his neighbor interrupted and asked whether he also intended to throw away the turtle that was poking its head out of the box.
After being missing for thirty long years, Manuela the tortoise caught Leandro’s attention.
“I quickly ran white because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.” Lenita, who had given up looking for the tortoise and greatly missed it, was reunited with Manuela when he returned.
She said that she had never considered looking for the tortoise in the storage area on the second floor.
“My father picked up and brought home whatever he believed he could fix. He just kept collecting stuff because he believed that if he found an old television, he would be able to restore another one with a piece from it in the future.
Lenita went on, “We never had the guts to enter the room. We are all delighted to see Manuela again. However, it is simply astonishing how she managed to survive for 30 years within.”
It seems as though a long-lost family member returned with Lionel’s passing. despite the fact that Manuela never truly left. Who knew the tortoise had survived, though?
