It was an escape at a tortoise's pace at the Mill Mountain Zoo in Roanoke.

Zoo officials say a rare Burmese Mountain Tortoise went missing from the zoo, but was found about seven hours later nearly 20 yards from its pen.

Officials say it wasn't clear whether a visitor removed the tortoise or if it had escaped. The zoo's two tortoises live in an enclosure surrounded by a wall about 3 feet high. Officials said changes would be made to make sure it couldn't happen again.

The tortoise was recovered in an area of bamboo and vegetation that staff had checked earlier in the day.

Last year, a 20-pound female Japanese macaque named Oops escaped from the zoo and was found a week later more than a mile away.