Pet tortoise returned to Dean's Drive Inn, safe and sound Copyright by KHON - All rights reserved Video

A pet tortoise that was stolen in Kaneohe last Thursday has been returned.

According to the owner of Dean's Drive Inn, surveillance video captured a man taking the tortoise, which is kept in a pen behind the restaurant.

The animal, named Mr. Smith, weighs about 30 pounds.

"That was really like our family, so after he got stolen, everybody was so sad," said owner Dean Mishima.

Mishima filed a police report, and received lots of tips via social media.

Someone told him, "'Oh yeah, (a man) has the turtle, but he's afraid to give it back,'" Mishima said. "So I told that person, 'You know what, tell him Dean said return the turtle. Put it in the pen, any place, anytime.'"

Mishima said he found the man returning the tortoise Thursday morning.

"I said, 'Why did you take the turtle anyway?' [He said] 'Well, I thought the turtle was being abused and I thought someone is going to eat the turtle,'" Mishima said. "I said no one eats the turtle, okay? That's our pet, but anyway, thank you very much."

Mishima said the tortoise was scared but otherwise okay.

He says he isn't pressing charges, but wants to thank the public for help.