The injured animal, about 76 cm long, was found around half past one on the track near Thetford. Three trains of the Greater Anglia train company were therefore cancelled. The animal was spotted by Diane Akers, who was traveling in the opposite direction from Ely to Norwich. She managed to photograph the animal and tried to warn Greater Anglia via Twitter. After arriving in Norwich, she warned the train company employees, who took action after a comment from an agent – who had seen her tweet.
The giant tortoise, Clyde, had apparently escaped from the Swallow Aquatics in East Harling and had already been hit by a train. After he was found on the track by employees of the railways, he was taken to the vet for examination.