Believed to have been lost forever but after 38 years they found his turtle among the dusty shelves in their old home
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Our first love is never forgotten, and this is true even it that love was for our first pet, we would dare to assert.
Whether it was a dog, a cat, or a turtle, the memories of the time spent as a young child or in our youth with that pet will remain forever in our mind and heart.
Leandro Almeida and his family know something about this experience because in 1982 they had suddenly lost "forever" his little pet female turtle named Manuela.
At the time, Leandro was just a little boy, and he was very fond of his pet turtle, therefore, her sudden loss was absolutely devastating to him.
via TV Globo
As the story goes, in 1982, the Almeida family lived in Realengo, Brazil, and was renovating their home when suddenly their pet turtle Manuela had disappeared, probably "escaping" through an open door and had never returned.
At the time Leandro's parents had tried to comfort the little boy by telling him that it was probably better for little Manuela since she had "returned to Nature" where she came from—but Leandro was inconsolable.
Time passed, Leandro grew up and started a family of his own, and his parents, unfortunately, passed away due to old age.
Consequently, Leandro had to return to the old family home where his elderly parents had been living, to clean out the house and put their possessions in order.
Even though all those years had passed, Leandro had never completely forgotten his little pet turtle Manuela, the first pet he had ever had and loved in his life ...
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While he was focused on getting rid of his deceased father's old and dusty knick-knacks, which had been apparently piled up in a continuous way, Leandro discovered something that he could not believe at all!
In fact, a neighbor had previously told Leandro that they thought they had seen a turtle among his father's dusty books and shelves!
Leandro had paled at the neighbor's statement—he could not believe that his little turtle Manuela had been in their family home for 38 years—without anyone having ever noticed that, in the end, she had actually returned home!
Incredible as it may seem, probably Manuela had survived there for at least three decades feeding on the numerous termites and insects that populated the Almeida's dusty old house!
However, for Leandro, the most important thing is that now, Manuela has finally returned to him - her old friend and original owner, and is already getting to know her new family ... from one generation to the next!
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