Disabled turtle uses new wheels to find love

A disabled turtle has started mating after being fitted with a set of wheels to help her get around. Arava, a ten-year-old spurred turtle, lost mobility after her hind legs became paralysed.

Weighing 55 pound (25 kilograms), she could not move herself forward with her front legs alone.



So, staff at Jerusalem Biblical Zoo built her a metal board with two wheels that can be easily strapped to her stomach, creating a unique type of wheelchair. Once the wheels were in place, the zookeepers got more than they bargained for.

Arava has started atttracting the attentions of an amourous male turtle, and the pair are now mating.



Zoo curator Shmulik Yedvad said the metal contraption obviously appealed to the lusty 10-year-old male turtle.

Arava arrived in Jerusalem a few months ago from a petting zoo in southern Israel with the unexplained handicap. She had not found love before the wheels were fitted.