"Prince" is a male Eastern Box Turtle whose age is unknown, but is probably greater than 30 years.
He was found in 1985 by Vinny Wheeler, on the Wheeler Ranch just outside of Denton Texas. In the summer of 1992, after 7 years of captivity, he was released in the same area of the ranch. But the story of Prince did not end there.

In the Fall of 1995, Mom (Vinny) looked out the window of the kitchen and saw a turtle walking across the driveway. Vinny captured the turtle. The newcomer looked just like Prince, and comparison with previous photographs confirmed that this was indeed the same turtle, having come back after more than three years in the wild.

In his first experience with domestication, Prince had learned to come to the refrigerator to be fed. Even after three years away, he remembered this habit immediately when he was brought back into the house. His favorite food seems to be cantaloupe, something not found in the wild in this area.

Prince is currently domesticated again, at least temporarily. The area where he was found is being developed, so it would not be safe to let him loose there again.

Text by Melva Wheeler.

Photos by Phil McLaughlin.