You could say it was a slow-speed chase to catch a tortoise on the run east of Edmonton Monday, and one that had area bylaw officers surprised.

On Monday, drivers saw the tortoise – named Tucker – on the shoulder of a road in Strathcona County.

“I see something is coming from that side, and I just parked my car on the side, and he’s just moving too slowly,” Meet Gill said.

The driver called bylaw – who were both in disbelief to find the 80 lb reptile.

“We were just expecting a small, little, what a kid has in their bedroom sort of turtle,” Evan Brown, a Strathcona County bylaw officer said.

The other officer, Cody Rossing, said the pair took a moment to decide what they would do with the slow-moving creature.

“We watched the turtle for a little while walk down the road while we made up a game plan on what we were going to do,” Rossing said. “Eventually Officer Brown and myself were able to pick the tortoise up and we placed it in the backseat of our patrol vehicle.”

Later, Tucker’s owners picked the animal up from the Edmonton Humane Society – they didn’t face bylaw infractions, and did not comment to CTV News.

With files from David Ewasuk