An elderly tortoise called Adolf has cheated death yet again - 71 years after he survived a Nazi bomb attack in the Second World War.
Carey and David Miller, of Muswell Hill, north London, feared their pet reptile had died after he was caught outside in a freezing late snowfall in their garden as they visited their son abroad.
The shell of the stricken tortoise, who is thought to be more than 100 years old, was finally discovered and he was taken inside to safety by the couple’s shocked eight-year-old grandson Jake.
Worried: Carey Miller (pictured), of Muswell Hill, north London, feared her pet tortoise Adolf had died after he was caught outside in a freezing late snowfall in their garden as she visited her son abroad
Adolf remained in their home, without a hint of life for the next month. But the Millers took him out into the sunshine last Sunday in a last desperate bid to see if the spring warmth would revive him.
‘We thought he was dead,’ children’s author Mrs Miller said. ‘Adolf was totally inert. We thought that was it. It was only on Sunday that we took him out of the box and his head gradually came out.
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‘We were absolutely ecstatic to see that he was still alive.’
His recovery comes after the Millers were told he was discovered crawling in a crater caused by a Nazi parachute mine bomb. The blast destroyed three houses in 1942 in Wood Green, north London.
The gutsy tortoise was adopted by the neighbours and named William, remaining happily with them until the Millers bought the house 35 years ago.
Happy again: Adolf recovers from his winter ordeal (left) with his very own wartime Nazi helmet, 71 years after he was discovered crawling in a crater caused by one of Adolf Hitler's (right) Nazi parachute mine bombs
They renamed him Adolf in honour of surviving the wartime bombing blitz and he became a much-loved family pet, entertaining their three children and, more recently, eight grandchildren.
'We thought he was dead. We thought that was it. We were absolutely ecstatic to see that he was still alive'
Carey Miller, Adolf's owner
But Adolf has gone missing from his back garden four or five times and once ended up in Highgate after a well-meaning cleaning lady decided to take him home after finding him out in the street.
Mrs Miller said: ‘He went absolutely ballistic, bashing against the fence in Highgate and she was quite worried about him. But we finally tracked him down.’
And on another occasion Adolf thought he had found a good place for a nap, only to be woken up as the bonfire looming above him was lit.
‘My husband set fire to him accidentally - he lost a huge lump from his shell,’ Mrs Miller said.