The real-life answer to 'why did the turtle cross the road?' A Sunderland tale

That is the question Mandy Mounsey, 19, was asking herself in 1988 after finding one near her home in Pennywell, Sunderland.

Tortoise was no tortoise at all

She found what she thought was a tortoise crawling across Palmstead Road.

Her attempts to feed it on cucumber proved fruitless.

So Mandy took it to Sunderland Museum and hoped they could help.

Terry the meat eating turtle

The move paid off as one problem was solved. Museum officials helped Mandy by telling her it was a meat eating Caspian turtle and would prefer a diet of mince meat and earth worms.

But then Mandy hopds to solve her other problem.

She wanted to find the owner of the turtle which she named Terry, or an expert willing to take him in.

Share your memories of unusual creatures you have spotted in Sunderland by emailing [email protected]