By admin 
Many celebrities have come from the Modesto, California, region — and the newest star might be one of the biggest, or at least he will be.
Read more Will Sacramento’s Boulevard Park candle, fragrance pop-up be open by the holidays?
Weighing around 55 pounds and just 11 years old, Sherman the sulcata tortoise is drawing delight and fame everywhere he goes. Adopted last year by Wilson Tsai, the tortoise has gained fans and followers throughout Northern California through outings around the region, all documented on his social media platforms.
Sherman doesn’t let fame get to his head, or shell, and though he may be a rising star, he’s just family to Tsai.
Tsai and his family always have been animal lovers. Knowing this, a neighbor shared a flyer about an exotic animal rescue, and he decided to take his children to visit with some of the creatures.
“We had no plans to adopt that day, but then we met Sherman and fell in love with him,” he said. “We made the decision to bring him home that day, and told my wife, Jun, about three minutes before we arrived home.”
That was a year ago, and Sherman has become part of the family. His human siblings include 10-year-old Ariel and her 5-year-old brother, Poseidon. Ariel said she considers the tortoise her brother and likes to feed him vegetables, his particular favorite being lettuce. “I love him because he is very nice and energetic,” Ariel said.
It was his energetic personality that made Sherman stand out when the Tsais visited Cali FID Parrot & Exotics Rescue Sanctuary. “When we met Sherman, we fell in love with him because he was completely fearless when we approached his horse trailer that he was inside of, and he came up and looked at us. And when we reached our hand down to touch him, he didn’t even go back into the shell,” Tsai said.
That fearlessness is partly what inspired his name. The tortoise’s origin and name were unknown to the rescue group, so Tsai named him after the M4 Sherman tank most commonly used by the United States and its allies in World War II.
Tsai noticed that Sherman seemed to want to explore beyond his backyard, which had to be reinforced because soft spots around the fence line were prime places for him to dig out.
On several occasions, Sherman would escape when a gate was left open and make it half a mile down the road before neighbors would alert Tsai to his whereabouts. “It’s not hard to find a giant tortoise; he may get out, but we can usually find him,” he said. He had learned his route and would head toward the park, and Tsai realized he wanted to see more of the world.
Using a large plastic storage bin, Tsai started taking Sherman around town. “Everywhere he goes, he gets a reaction,” he said. “People drop whatever they’re doing, and then they just stare at him nonstop. They take selfies with him; it’s like their entire world just stops when he’s around.”
He now documents all of their outings on social media. Sherman has over 10,000 followers on TikTok and over 8,000 followers on Instagram. Tsai documents his visits all around the Central Valley and even trips to the Bay Area.
He has drawn attention at Vintage Faire Mall, Costco, the McDonald’s drive-thru, car dealerships on McHenry, and even riding the BART train to San Francisco. He has appeared on several television news shows over the last few months.
“He is pretty fast,” Tsai said. “He walks around 5 miles a day.”
In the wild, sulcata tortoises have a natural instinct to roam great distances in search of food and water, and even for a mate. Tsai said that although Sherman is very friendly and curious, he is an alpha male and territorial and not very welcoming of other males. He described Sherman headbutting and charging at other males in an effort to flip them over.
But when it comes to people, Sherman is as nice and welcoming as can be. “When there’s a crowd of people that come up and touch him, interact with him, he doesn’t shrivel up into a shell at all. I absolutely love that reaction and love the raw joy that it brings to people,” he said.
@shermanator209 Big Sale @ Ross! ❤️ @diana ♬ original sound – Shermanator209
At around 11 years old, Sherman has a long life ahead of him. He could live to be 70, maybe 100 years old, and could weigh between 100 and 150 pounds when mature.
Tsai has made arrangements to ensure the tortoise is cared for in the future. “I know he will outlive me, so we have set up a will and trust for the rest of his life. Both of my kids are interested, so whoever keeps him will get 10% more for his care,” he said.
After a long day of meeting fans, Sherman finds peace and a lot of love at home. Tsai said Sherman approaches the sliding door waiting for him. “He’ll come up to me, and then I can pet his head, stroke his neck, and that’s a sign that he trusts you,” he said.
To keep up with Sherman, follow his TikTok at Shermanator209 and on Instagram at Shermantor209.
Read more Will Sacramento’s Boulevard Park candle, fragrance pop-up be open by the holidays?