Bertie the leopard is possibly the world's fastest tortoise

Bertie the tortoise is set to stroll into the record books as the fastest in the world. The current record has been held since 1977, when one named Charlie travelled 5.48 m (18 ft) in 43.7 seconds.



The young Leopard “turbo” tortoise is believed to have set a new world record on Wednesday, covering the 18ft-long uphill track at Adventure Valley theme park, near Durham City, first in 21.47 seconds – around half the previous best – and then smashing his own time, clocking in at 19.59 seconds.



The record attempt was painstakingly monitored, with three vets, a course architect and two timekeepers from Sunderland AFC’s Foundation of Light on hand to ensure everything was done by the book. Their paperwork and videos will now be sent to Guinness World Records, in the hope of official confirmation that Bertie has entered the record books.


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Marco Calzini, from Adventure Valley said: “Not only has he smashed the world record, he’s obliterated it completely. I think it will stand for a long time now, without a shadow of a doubt. It’s a massive weight off my shoulders. I’m so proud of him, so pleased. Now hopefully we’ll get that official recognition.”