Think dogs are a man’s best friend? One tortoise begs to differ.
In this video posted by the YouTube account Strange Happenings, one 62-year-old retired funeral parlor owner goes out for a leisurely stroll around Tokyo with his shelled and somewhat slow pet.
The owner’s name is Hisao Mitani. According to the video’s description, he found the giant African tortoise, which he named Bon-Chan, at a pet store about 20 years before and fell in love with the animal. Bon-Chain was once so small that he could fit in Mitani’s hand, but now he stretches around three feet long and weighs about 70 kilograms, or 154 pounds. Baby tortoise is all grown up!
Mitani has reportedly been walking Bon-Chan around the streets several times a week for two decades. But for this 20-year-old reptile, a member of a species known to live up to 100 years, it’s just the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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