The Girl and the Rescue Tortoise

Maya has been looking forward to her visit to the rescue centre all week, and there she meets Shellby, a tortoise with a domed shell and gentle amber eyes who came from a place where he was not properly cared for. With Mr Okafor, the keeper, guiding her, she learns that taking on a tortoise is a commitment that lasts for many years. She finds out how to plan a safe habitat with a basking spot, a shallow water dish and a hiding place, how to prepare a healthy menu of leafy greens with occasional fruit, and how to look after Shellby's shell and health through regular vet check-ups. Mr Okafor shows her a calendar and points out that tortoises can outlive people, so rescue means thinking far ahead.

At home, Maya spreads her notes across the kitchen table and draws a colourful map of the enclosure, eager to get every detail right. The next day she and Mr Okafor build the habitat together, and Shellby explores it slowly, stretching his wrinkled neck. Maya returns every week with fresh greens, cleans the water dish and brushes his shell gently. When Mr Okafor asks how they might help others learn, she comes up with a habitat display for the centre. Written by Ebru Mina TOMURCUK, this story can be read on Onlinemasal Com.Tr.