Viral Tortoise Harness Video Is Sus, Utah Turtles Throw Shade

I have come across a cute video of a turtle on a leash making the rounds with nearly 7 million views and this Utah turtle owner is suspicious.

There is a sweet story of a lady keeping track of one of the wild tortoises in her area. She wanted to keep tabs on the reptile so, per the post, she wrapped what looks like a pipe cleaner around its center. There was enough length to the pipe cleaner that the tail of it can stick straight up with a loop allowing her to see the path of her little friend.

I have had 3 red eared sliders. I don’t know if the demeanor of other types of shelled reptiles are more passive, but I have tried to make several harnesses for our turtles and each one has failed miserably.

I am not a turtle whisperer and not very good with animal bonding so I admit freely that this might be a John issue, but here are the facts of the case.

In doing this research I have watched several turtles on leashes that seem to work.

My possibly more aggressive and talented escape artists have always been able to slip out of every harness quickly. They are very able to pull their feet up and under the leash and push the harness off the rounded part of their shell.

I tried several loops with different strap ideas and a 4 point harness. I never tried the body glove style that hugs their entire shell.

Sadly, there are accounts of people successfully attaching a leash, handle, rope to a turtle's shell in unnatural ways. Think of industrial adhesives and even drills and screws.

Read More: Where in Southern Utah Could You See a Bald Eagle?

I hope I am wrong, but watching some of these videos I wonder if the harness is not attached with more than just a loop around the shell. I’m just saying that any one of my pets would have made very quick removal of the harnesses that are featured in these videos.