Many of you know that Ms. Seitz loves to go camping. Every year, I go camping in, believe it or not, Brooklyn! The site is in Floyd Bennett Field, which is a national park. You buy a permit and you are allowed to pitch a tent in a beautiful grassy area, surrounded by trees. There's no program. You're on your own. This was my seventh year camping at FBF. This year, just before we were leaving, one of our friends spotted what I thought was a turtle, a big turtle. I picked him up. He was so friendly. All the kids got to hold him and feed him grapes and apples. He had a big appetite! I was thinking of taking him home for a few days so I could bring him to school and show all of you, but then I thought I should just leave him in his native habitat.
On the drive home, I was thinking about the turtle the kids named "Ralph," and the more I thought about him, the more I began to think that he wasn't a turtle at all, that he looked more like a tortoise. So I did some research on GOOGLE, and discovered that he is an African Spur Thigh Tortoise from
the Sahara Desert. Apparently, someone released his or her pet into the wild. I guess they didn't want him. I don't know why. He is so lovely.So I went back to Floyd Bennett Field, in the dark, with my son and his friend and we scoured the brush for Ralph. Despite our best efforts, we didn't find Ralph. Now I'm sad because he won't be able to survive our cold winter. After all, his native habitat is the desert. I've called a Ranger at the park and asked him to keep an eye out for Ralph. Hopefully he'll be found. He is such a beautiful creature. His shell is like wood and his legs have a really unusual texture. He is great. I just hope he's okay.
