Randburg SPCA Needs Help to Get Hermit Crab Shell-vis Back to His Beach!

Photo Credit: SPCA Randburg

This story warmed the very cockles of our hearts, but it isn’t over yet. A hermit crab named Shell-vis Presley, who is now stuck in Randburg, needs to make it back home to his beach.

Johannesburg, South Africa (14 August 2026) – It started with a family holiday in the Eastern Cape. While on Kidd’s Beach near East London, a family picked up a rather pretty-looking shell as a keepsake. However, they did not realise that a small hermit crab had already chosen that particularly pretty shell as his home.

This week, the family returned from their holiday back to Johannesburg. Shell-vis Presley – as he is now affectionately known – had accidentally come along for the journey.

Immediately upon discovering that they had a displaced hermit crab in their possession, the family contacted their local SPCA for help.

“This week, a concerned family contacted us after returning home from a holiday in the Eastern Cape.” the Randburg SPCA shared. “While collecting shells on Kidd’s Beach near East London, they unknowingly brought home a tiny stowaway—a hermit crab tucked safely inside one of the shells they had collected”

“As soon as they realised what had happened, they did exactly the right thing. They contacted us for help.”

The team at the SPCA says they immediately sprang into action, contacting wildlife experts to work out the safest course of action for their unexpected little traveller.

“Following advice from wildlife veterinarians, we have created a temporary environment for our crab, now named Shell-vis Presley, to ensure it is properly cared for while arrangements are made to return it to Kidd’s Beach, where it was originally found. Shell-vis needs to leave the building ASAP!”

The hope was that kindness would help carry Shell-vis home where he belongs.

After obtaining permission from the relevant government and conservation authorities to return Shell-vis to his original environment, the SPCA put out its feelers to find a volunteer who was already travelling from Johannesburg to East London and would be willing to bring a little stowaway along for the ride.

And someone stepped forward! Yesterday, the SPCA shared that a kind volunteer had stepped forward and offered to take Shell-vis home on their flight on Friday (today). They agreed to bring Shell-vis back to the beach, where welcome-home flags have already been laid out for him.

The SPCA then reached out to the airline the volunteer would be flying with, hoping to secure the final approval needed to get Shell-vis home. Unfortunately, the request was refused without explanation.

No further updates have been shared about Shell-vis at the time of writing. It is likely that the SPCA will need to make another plan to get Shell-vis home.

So, if you are in a position to help – perhaps you are travelling from Johannesburg to East London, or maybe you work at a hermit crab-friendly airline willing to be part of Shell-vis’ happy ending – please get in touch with the Randburg SPCA! Let’s get this little adventurer back to the beach where he belongs.

“To the thoughtful family who reached out instead of ignoring the situation—thank you. Your kindness ensured that one very small life had the very best chance of getting safely back where it belongs.” shares the SPCA.