A 60-year-old tortoise has struck up an unusual friendship with a fox who helped bring the reptile out of her shell.

Far from being frightened off by the predator, the tortoise, called Number One, spent 20 minutes playing with the fox in a garden in Hove, East Sussex.

The encounter was captured on camera by Prue Heron, who was enjoying lunch in the garden at her friend Janet Colman's home.Animal lover Mrs Heron said: 'We were just chatting away when we were greeted by a red visitor and we saw him approach the tortoise.


'She wasn't the slightest bit scared. It was quite magical, particularly because you rarely see wildlife in the middle of Hove.'
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