The Great Escape: The tortoise on Delmar, the bullfrog running away, and a missing snake

During the summer of 2005, the Environmental Education classroom’s giant tortoise had the adventure of its lifetime.

The tortoises are often kept in an outdoor pen, giving them some fresh air and more room to walk around. When a construction worker working on the library left the outdoor pen’s gate open, the tortoise crawled right out into the foreign territory on the other side of the fence.

It made its way down 75th St. before taking a short rest in someone’s yard and was able to taste a new variety of grass than what was in its pen. When the homeowners saw the giant tortoise in their yard — after overcoming their initial shock — they figured the tortoise was from East’s Environmental Education program and brought it back to the school.

After a calm rest of summer break, the tortoise’s pen was left open yet again and he escaped for another stroll.

This time, however, the giant tortoise decided to venture across the football field and onto Delmar St. He ended up walking up Delmar on the concrete, enjoying a lovely autumn day until a passerby noticed.

“It really spooked somebody and they brought it back to school,” Environmental Education teacher Rusty DeBey said. “I got a call from the office saying ‘come pick up this animal,’ they believed was ours.”

Since then, the tortoise hasn’t gone on another walk but is still plotting to take another, this time down Mission Rd.

Three years ago, students were showing elementary schoolers the amphibians for a field trip, when the giant bullfrog leaped out of the student’s hands and hopped for its life. 

The bullfrog then proceeded to hurdle away from the crowd of kids, leaped out into the third floor hallway, made its way to the north ramp — in typical Bonnie and Clyde fashion — as the environmental education students clamored after the frog. 

“All the kids in the classroom were just screaming their heads off,” DeBey said. “They were freaking out, they were laughing and some of them were crying. The teachers, the principal and even some of the parent volunteers were all laughing.”

The students’ panic heightened as it took them several minutes to catch the frog in their hands. However, the bullfrog was eventually secured in its cage. The elementary schoolers on the other hand were far from at ease — they were still worried the slimy bullfrog would bounce right out onto them and crawl all over their arms.

About five years ago, the milk snake wanted to stretch out. When it noticed it’s cage was open, it took advantage and slipped out.

The snake escaped its cage and didn’t return for three and a half months. The Environmental Ed students couldn’t find the snake in any of the sinks, terrariums or under any synthetic logs. They figured it slipped away when a student forgot to close its cage.

However, throughout the three and a half months, it had been sitting in the classroom listening to habitat lectures and confidential parent — teacher conferences, and had watched the students’ confusion and heartbreak over its disappearance. DeBey figured the snake didn’t leave room 301 premises because the it knew there was a food and water source. 

But eventually, the snake was found in the environmental education classroom only a few feet away the whole time and was put back into its enclosure. Now, its three month hiatus is just another rumour that circles within the animal’s conversations.