After 30 years, a family discovered a pet turtle that had gone missing. The tortoise had been hiding in the attic all along, which was a stunning find.

Manuela, a tortoise, went missing from her family’s home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1982. Despite a lengthy search for the animal, she was not discovered.

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After contractors left the front door open while doing electrical work on the property, the family realised she had gone missing. When their father Lionel died after 30 years, the family returned to the family house and discovered the tortoise in the attic .

Manuela was discovered alive inside a box containing an old record player by Leonel’s son, Leandro. According to the family, their father believed he could mend everything, therefore he piled all the trash in the attic.

Let we fast forward. From 1983 until 2013, 30 years have passed. Almeida’s grandfather had recently gone away, and her family had gathered to sort through his belongings at her mother’s childhood house.

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Almeida’s grandfather had left behind a crowded attic, and as the space was tidied and his belongings were hauled out for sorting, something strange was uncovered. There was a turtle they recognised in the box of an antique wooden speaker.

“We were taken aback!” The Dodo spoke with Almeida. “When my mother arrived, she was in tears because she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Manuela had been found!”

Despite being locked within the storage area for three decades, the tortoise had somehow survived. Her family believes she survived by eating termite larvae in the overcrowded room.

They were all surprised, though, that the tortoise had survived for so long.

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He is supposed to have survived by eating termites and other small insects from the hardwood floors.

The family also discovered that the turtle was a male after a normal check-up and changed the name from Manuela to Manuel.

Tortoises have a lifespan of up to 255 years. They can go for up to three years without eating or drinking.