HARLEM — Tortoise lovers, here’s a job for you!
When Amanda Green posted an ad on Craigslist for a tortoise walker, she never guessed that hundreds of people would apply.
“There’s so many people out there, more than I ever expected,” Green said.
Green’s 16-year-old tortoise, Henry, lives in her Harlem apartment. Now that the weather is getting nice out, she wants him to be able to enjoy it while she’s at work.
It doesn’t pay much — just $10 an hour.
“This is totally a side, side, side gig. It’s a little higher than minimum wage. I’d pay more if I could. This is for someone who is doing it for the love of being in the park, the love of the outdoors and the love of Henry,” Green said.
The person who gets the job will take Henry to Central Park in his carrier a few hours a week. And once he’s there, there’s no leash! Of course, he’s a tortoise and won’t really run away. Although, Green said you do need to keep an eye on him!
That means, “…following him around, letting him do his own thing, obviously making sure he doesn’t tumble down stairs or fall into the pond or something,” Green said.
Henry’s walker needs to love people. He attracts a lot of attention. We watched as people stopped to take pictures, pet Henry and ask Green a lot of questions. Inquiries usually include, “How do you know it’s a boy? How long will he live? What does his poop look like?” she said.
“They want to know about the poop. They are so curious about the poop!”
Green said she is going to look carefully at all the applicants for the job. A few even have prior tortoise and reptile experience. For those who don’t get the job, they can still follow Henry on Instagram. He’s at @thenotortoisebig.
