Not too long ago, it was crystal clear why Blue the Leopard Tortoise shared his name with the colour. Following his rescue, Blue’s undergone a lot of work to remove his painted hue and is on his way to being a healthy tortoise once more. We’re all rooting for you Blue!
Limpopo, South Africa (06 April 2025) — In good news for everyone who read our previous story on Blue the Leopard Tortoise, Blue has undergone no small transformation to rid himself of his former blue hue and is all the better for it.
In case you missed it, Blue the leopard tortoise was rescued by the Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation recently. He is said to have escaped the yard of a traditional healer before being brought through to the Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation’s rehabilitation facility by Loraine Botha and Martin van der Breggan.
Blue and his name were one and the same thanks to the colour of his painted shell. Not a makeover Blue undertook by choice; Carina Crayton of Wild Heart explains that a traditional healer had painted him as a form of identification.
However, tortoise shells are not decorations. They are actually a part of the animal’s skeletal structure, with porosity, which allows the tortoise to absorb the moisture and sunlight needed for certain vitamins to keep the tortoise healthy.
While removing the paint was a priority for the team, it also isn’t as easy as giving Blue a long bath.
The team had to use a specialised, non-toxic, organic product to lift the paint. The task is tedious and stressful on Blue, meaning the paint couldn’t all be removed in one go. This meant ‘marathon paint removal sessions’ for Blue, coupled with electrolytes and soothing disinfectants to help his cells heal.
The very good news is that most of the paint is gone, and Blue is back to looking like his natural self!
Look: Blue’s Before and After
In a recent update, the Wild Heart Wildlife team said that he is doing much better, eating well, and getting stronger.
We’re all rooting for you, Blue!
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