Mrs T gets wheels ......... and blaze started by tortoise

Indemnity is a basic principle of Insurance -      An indemnity is an obligation by a person (indemnitor) to provide compensation for a particular loss suffered by another person (indemnitee).   Insurers by virtue of Insurance contract, indemnify the policy holder – i.e., compensate the insured against loss or damage caused by insured perils. There must be a pecuniary loss and the Insurance policy would place the policy holder back in the position, he was, prior to the loss – nothing more, nothing less.  When the property damaged is replaced by a better product, Insurers would deduct % towards betterment, somewhat akin to a ‘ball change’ midway in Cricket – Umpires would pick-up a replacement ball almost similarly used – if that is not available, would rub the ball to make it a bit more old to become similar !!

Often we read about endangered animals being smuggled – and getting caught by Customs at Airports. Tortoises frequently figure in that - Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling turtles in the order Testudines. They are generally reclusive animals.   Like most turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. Tortoises can vary in size from a few centimeters to two meters.  Hundreds of  Olive Ridley turtles turn up in Bay of Bengal for laying their eggs and then  return to sea.    

How do you give a 90-year-old a new lease on life? Attach a pair of wheels, of course !  - The Welsh owners of nonagenarian tortoise ‘ Mrs T ’ have invented a novel solution to their injured pet's mobility issues - an improvised pair of wheels that allowed her to double her usual pace. "It was like fitting her with a turbo charger," owner Jude Ryder, 56, told the UK's Telegraph. "She's going double the speed she used to. She uses her back legs to push herself along. She seems quite happy, but it's difficult to tell with a tortoise."

Mrs T's two front legs were chewed off by a malevolent rat while she was hibernating. A vet was able to keep her alive, but Ms Ryder feared the extension of life would only be temporary if her pet's mobility was not restored. So she turned to her 37-year-old son Dale, a mechanical engineer, who designed the wheels and attached them to the front of the shell with resin. The results speak for themselves.  As a learner driver, Mrs T had some teething problems, but is becoming quite a speed freak on her new wheels, Ms Ryder said. "She took to them straight away, but she has had to learn how to turn and stop," she told the Telegraph.

The animal, called Mrs T, was facing a grim future after a rat chewed off her two front legs while she was hibernating, is now enjoying a fresh lease of life with speedier movement.  Mrs T was in her 60s when she was bought as a pet for Dale when he was eight. It has the run of Mrs Ryder's garden in Pembroke, West Wales, in the spring and summer before being tucked away in in the garden shed to hibernate.

 It is stated that rats  attacking tortoises is not uncommon - in 2013 Britain's oldest tortoise died after a rat attack. Thomas the tortoise was 130 when he was bitten at his home in Guernsey.  He spent five days on strong antibiotics, but the wound became so infected his owner had no choice but to have him put to sleep.

In another news, Mirror.co.uk reports that a  pair of tortoises caused a costly house fire by knocking over a heating lamp.  

Pals Dinky and Toby were saved from the flames by firefighters who needed breathing masks. But it will cost thousands of pounds to repair smoke-filled rooms at the house in Fordingbridge, Hants, started by one of the pair. Firefighter Pete White said: "The whole house was full of smoke and there was a reasonable fire going in the room.   The owners, who did not  want to be named, told firefighters that Toby has been in the family since the 1950s and they have had Dinky for more than 25 years.

It's feared the cost of repairing the smoke-blackened rooms will run into thousands of pounds. The family now face the task of convincing their insurers that the blaze was accidental,  started by a tortoise. Firefighter Mr White added: "Residents are reminded to ensure smoke alarms are regularly checked and fitted correctly.”

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

4^th May 2015.