Tortoise, 120, among 20 stolen from woman's shed

Dita Morgan said in 38 years she had never had a tortoise taken from her home

A woman whose 120-year-old tortoise was among 20 taken from her garden said she felt like she has been "eviscerated".

Dita Morgan, 74, from Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire, said she was left screaming after she found her shed, where she kept the pets, "completely empty".

Among the missing were species including hermanns, spur-thighs and leopard tortoises, which she believed had been taken for financial gain.

She said: "It's the fact they won't be cared for and that's what hurts me the most."

Ms Morgan said the animals were like "extended family" and she had raised them after seeing them hatch.

"They are a big part of my life... and my children have all grown up with tortoises."

She said she also kept them as a child.

"You would see them all in the pet shops dancing round in the windows... as soon as I got married and we had our own house I had tortoises again, that was in 1982."

Lizzie Hall said Ms Morgan had been "instrumental" in teaching children in the neighbourhood about wildlife

However, she said she had been left with "emotional damage" upon finding out the tortoises had been taken from her property on Wednesday.

"I don't hold out much hope I'll get them back. I just want to know they'll be looked after... that's the most painful thing," she said.

"I feel like I've had my whole body ripped out of me... I've had them for so many years.

"My kids' friends used to come and play with the tortoises; they used to be a part of my children's and grandchildren's lives. Now they are gone."

In 38 years of living there, she said she had never had a tortoise taken.

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire Police said the force was called to reports of a burglary at an address on Dunmow Road.

Her friend of 15 years, Lizzie Hall, said she and her son had fond memories of meeting Dita and her learning about the tortoises.

"Dita has opened her house to so many children round here... she has been so instrumental in educating kids about wildlife," she said.

"It's not just a personal thing for her family — it's a ripple effect on the community."

Ms Hall's son said growing up and visiting Ms Morgan's house it was like "an adventure to prehistoric times".