Derry Township police have posted this missing-pet notice on their Facebook page:

"A Sulcata desert tortoise escaped from a home in the 400 block of Laurel Drive. The tortoise is tan and brown in color with a dome-shaped shell that measures 21 inches by 18 inches. It is not dangerous." Police added that drivers in the area should remain cautious.

No mention is made by police of any recent Hershey-area races involving hares.

Clyde Peeling, owner of Clyde Peeling’s Reptileland in Allenwood, said authorities better quickly find the tortoise.

A tropical animal, the Sulcata needs a sustained temperature between 85 and 105 degrees during the day, Peeling said. At night, temps can only drop into the 70s and must be dry.

Over the next three days, the midstate could experience a low of 43.

But how far could the tortoise get? Not far, but it’s impossible to guess where the reptile might be, Peeling said. “They’re wanderers,” he added.

No details have been released about the owners, who wished to remain unidentified, police said.

UPDATE: The tortoise has been found safely and returned home.

