- Tank (tortoise)
Tank is the name of an 8-year old tortoise owned by Mark and Kim Hirchak. Tank is a 60-pound African spur thigh tortoise. He lives in
Highland , Indiana. The tortoise, who lives in the family's garage, has escaped from his family twice, and has garnered national media attention due to his long journeys.First Escape
On July 4, 2007, Tank escaped during a 4th of July celebration. He was found three miles away at a local post office. [ [http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=123&sid=70823 Tortoise returned after 2 1/2 weeks on the lam - MyNorthwest.com ] ]
econd Escape
Tank's second escape was far more prolific. He was missing for two and a half weeks in late June 2008. During this time, the tortoise went through three northwestern
Indiana towns. The tortoise was returned to the family after they calledMunster, Indiana police to report him missing. Jeff Dixon, a Highland resident, was the person who returned the tortoise. The family had earlier called Highland and Hammond police to no avail. Munster officers were well aware of what happened to the tortoise, who was found living at a gas station. [ [http://www.kirotv.com/news/16790639/detail.html Tortoise Returned After 2 1/2 Weeks On The Lam - News Story - KIRO Seattle ] ] During the time Tank was missing, several homeowners took care of him, including a couple with a strawberry patch. [ [http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0708/533332.html Tortoise returned after 2 1/2 weeks on the lam|ABC 7 News ] ] It was later discovered that Tank had escaped when someone left open a garage door. [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/04/america/ODD-Tortoise-Returns.php Tortoise returned after 2 1/2 weeks on the lam - International Herald Tribune ] ]Reaction
Kylie Hirchak, the daughter of Mark and Kim Hirchak, was devastated to find the tortoise missing. She stated that the tortoise was like a brother to her. Kylie's sister, Kelsie, had worried that Tank had drowned or fallen into a
ditch . She also worried that Tank was mistakenly placed into a pond. [http://www.nj.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-12/1215158947218060.xml&storylist=national]References
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