Tortoise Tourist: Olli’s Big Arrival

  KayLynn Neal and Wes Denton, of Concord, Calif., had an idea: Bring Olli, their 55-pound tortoise, to meet Neil and Marcia Denton, of Avon, before Olli grew too large to transport.

You see, Olli is a bit of an internet sensation. Through an Instagram account managed by KayLynn, Olli shares his daily adventures in California with nearly 700 followers. Among them are the Dentons, Wes' parents, who keep up with Olli's adventures from Indiana.

Olli is an African spurred tortoise, also known as a sulcata tortoise. He is approximately 12 years old and can grow to 80 to 110 pounds. With proper care, he can live more than 70 years.

Olli wasn't always a healthy tortoise. When KayLynn and Wes took over his care five years ago, he weighed less than 2 pounds. Eating too much protein and spending too much time in a dry environment had caused pyramiding, a condition that creates spike-like growth on the shell. While Olli has rebounded into a healthy tortoise, the spikes will remain.

KayLynn, Wes and Olli set out on their epic road trip in a rented RV, making stops to visit attractions and meet up with friends and family in Nevada, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa and, finally, Hendricks County, nearly 2,200 miles from where they began. 

The convenience of the motorhome allowed the couple to continue providing Olli's proper care, including a daily walks for 2 hours (at a pace of 1.1 mph). It also provided space to store his food, primarily grass purchased from a rabbit-feed supplier, along with treats such as bok choy, bell peppers and cucumbers.

"For extra-special treats in the summer, he eats watermelon rind," KayLynn said, noting that treats must be limited. "When he eats his bok choy, sometimes he chews it so fast he burps."

As the third-largest tortoise species, native to the southern Sahara Desert, Olli attracts plenty of attention wherever he goes.

Melissa Denton, Wes' sister-in-law and a preschool teacher at Snoopy School in Danville, invited her students to meet Olli.

"The students loved meeting Olli and were surprised at how fast he walked," she said.

Olli’s time in Hendricks County included wandering around a farm in Jamestown, enjoying time with a cousin of the dog variety, and of course, spending time with family. 

Marcia Denton reflected on finally meeting Olli.

"The residents and staff at Village of Avon had great fun visiting Olli," she said. "It was our first time meeting our grand-tortoise!"