As sad as it can be to see a flyer for a missing pet posted on a telephone pole, it’s incredibly heartwarming to hear that one has been reunited with its family. Oftentimes the reunions happen days after the pet went missing, but occasionally it can be weeks, or even years after. However, one beloved animal has all of those other reunions beat. This pet was found alive a whopping 30 years after it went missing. As if that weren't crazy enough, it turns out that during those three decades, the animal was in the same house as its family, living right above their heads in the attic. It may seem impossible for any animal to live so long under those conditions, but this pet was a tortoise named Manuela. When she first disappeared, her family just figured Manuela got out while they were having electrical work done on their house. The family searched for her, but after a while accepted that she was gone and moved on with their lives. Aside from occasionally remembering her fondly, they didn't think much about Manuela until 30 years later, when the family's patriarch passed away. Around that time, relatives went into the attic to clean out some of his belongings, and that's when they discovered Manuela in an old wooden speaker box — alive and well. As for how she survived for so long in the attic — when tortoises can actually only go between 6 months and 3 years without food — Manuela's family thinks she survived on termite larva. Since there wasn't much water around, she likely got her moisture intake from the insects as well. The surprises didn't end after finding Manuela either. Following her discovery, the family took her in for a check-up and learned that Manuela is actually Manuel. Fortunately, he was in good health, and now he gets to eat and drink more often than he did over the last 30 years. There’s been no word on his exact age, but tortoises can live to be 255 years old.
