A Cornish tortoise sanctuary is struggling to cope after hundreds of its residents were coaxed out of hibernation early by the mild winter.

More than 400 tortoises are up and about a month before usual. But many are having to be kept alive with infra-red heat lamps, as they will die if they go back into hibernation during a cold snap.

Staff at the Tortoise Garden in St Austell had not expected to see the animals until next month.

Joy Bloor, the garden’s owner, said: “To hibernate properly they need to be under 6C (43F). Above that and they start waking up and using energy. It’s energy they can’t spare because they don’t have the body weight, so we have to keep them warm with the lamps.

“They can’t go back to sleep because they would die. If they are not warm enough they will not eat or drink. So they are up and about now for the year. It’s definitely the earliest they’ve ever been awake.

“Most of them were still awake in mid-December because it was so mild.”

The sanctuary is home to 450 tortoises, many of which were “orphaned” after outliving their owners. The oldest, a female called Toto, is now at least 108.

Mrs Bloor said: “Our policy here is not to rehome - every one which comes in will stay with us. Many older people have placed them with us because they have gone into sheltered accommodation, but they don’t have to give them up completely because they can come and visit.”

The sanctuary is home to 15 species of tortoise, including South African leopards, Venezuelan red foots and African giants. They live in 60 pens, both inside and outside.

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