An African tortoise called Clyde who was hit by a high-speed train was ‘sex-starved and looking for love’, his owner has claimed.
The ten stone creature incredibly survived after wandering onto the track on Monday.
He was more than half a mile from his home at the Swallow Aquatics in East Harling, Norfolk, when the alarm was raised.
Greater Anglia trains were alerted and told disbelieving passengers about the very unusual delay. Two of the services were held up, including the Norwich to Stansted service carrying 125 passengers.
Clyde somehow survived with only ‘superficial’ injuries to the top of his shell after was still slowly walking along the track when he was found.
Now his owner has come forward and says there could be a reason behind his sudden escape act at the start of the week.
Dillon Prest, the manager of Swallow Aquatics, said the lonely creature - believed to be in his twenties - was probably just looking for love.
The 50-year-old took him in as a rescue pet from a Norfolk family who could no longer care for him.
"I think he smashed his way out to freedom because he wanted to find a girl tortoise," he told MailOnline.
"I guess he just wanted some female company, and he thought that Norwich was the right place to find some.
"He is an incredibly tough creature and he seemed remarkably unfazed - he was still walking along the track when we found him, despite being hit by the train."
Randy Clyde has now been given antibiotics and remains at the vets where he is being cared for as he makes his recovery.
Greater Anglia said at the time: "It's definitely the first time we have heard of a tortoise on the line.
"We are sorry for the disruption caused to customers.
"Someone from Network Rail did try and move the tortoise, but he was too heavy so they had to get help."
One passenger tweeted: "Train delayed because of a giant tortoise, too heavy to lift, stuck on the train tracks after having escaped from a local wildlife centre' is not something I thought I'd ever hear from a train driver!"
