Hibernating tortoises wake early

More than 400 tortoises at a sanctuary in Cornwall have come out of hibernation early because of mild weather over the past few months.
However, a recent cold snap also means the residents of the Tortoise Garden in St Austell are having to be kept warm with heat lamps.

The lamps and extra food they need because they are awake means the sanctuary's costs are increasing.

Joy Bloor's facility looks after 15 species of tortoise.

The Tortoise Garden provides a home for old or unwanted tortoises, and species it looks after include Greek Marginated and South African Leopard tortoises.

Some can live to be 120-years-old.

But if they are not warm enough they will not eat or drink.

Ms Bloor said: "To hibernate properly they need it to be under 6C. Above that and they start waking up, and if they start waking up they start using energy.

"It's energy they can't spare because they don't have the body weight, so we have to keep them warm with the lamps."

Ms Bloor said she hoped any increase in bills because of the early wake-up would not affect the sanctuary's work.