I vote for letting him stay in the big pond. I've read that turtles don't
need another turtle for company..... they are not pack animals, so maybe he
wanted to get away and have a place of his own. (I doubt that was going
through his head, but it's a cute thought anyway.) His determination
and efforts should be rewarded by letting him make his own decisions, and if
he WANTS to go back to where he came from, he can get there himself, right?
Sue