A runaway Fife tortoise has been reunited with its owner after it was found crossing the road by litter-pickers.
The creature was discovered near the Tay Road Bridge on Friday by Petra Hoefer of the Fife Street Champions team.
The Scottish SSPCA confirmed that the tortoise has now been reunited with its owner.
Petra told The Courier: “It was not what I was expecting to find at the shores of the Firth of Tay, very close to the Tay Road Bridge.
“I thought it was a garden ornament when I first saw it.
“I picked it up and the legs and head came out of the shell.”
‘Unexpected’ tortoise find on Fife street
Action to Protect Rural Scotland (APRS) took to social media to report the find, which it described as “unexpected”.
A spokesperson told The Courier: “Among all the bottles, cans and disposable vapes, that sadly are all too common, we hear of all sorts of things being found from fridges to fivers, but this one was certainly unexpected.
“Litter-pickers are doing fantastic work all across Scotland to help combat the litter crisis and on this occasion, they were able to help save an animal in distress.
“There was even a treadmill found recently.”
A spokesperson from the Fife Street Champions group said: “It is definitely the first tortoise that has been found.
“Hopefully (there will be) no others.”
Earlier this week, the Scottish SPCA launched an appeal after a dog was found “traumatised” when it was dumped in woodland near Cardenden.
The nine-month-old male dog was “extremely underweight” when discovered.
