The Arizona Game and Fish Department says it has more than 100 rescued and surrendered Sonoran desert tortoises in its custody.
Experts say the little reptiles, which typically only grow to be about 12 pounds, can’t return to the wild. So now, the agency is reviving a decadesold state program to put them up for adoption.
Tegan Wolf, who runs the state’s Desert Tortoise Adoption Program, said beyond not having the skills to survive, captive ones are at a unique risk of catching something unique to their species called "mycoplasma."
“I always kind of relate it to kennel cough in dogs,” explained Wolf. “It's a respiratory illness that is highly contagious. They can get it anywhere, but it's usually from, like, nose-to-nose contact or some kind of non-sterile environment.”
For decades, she said, illegal breeding has driven the issue.
“So in the '80s, you were able to go out and collect tortoises and it wasn't illegal,” said Wolf. “Then it became illegal, but people had so many in captivity that they were breeding. We’re in their native environment — put a male and a female together, they're going to breed. Now the captive population is just overwhelmed — like, it is out of control.”
And Wolf said it’s led to about 100 of these low-maintenance and surprisingly social reptiles to look for homes now.
“They have personalities,” she said. “A lot of them will know their name. But they love to interact with people, which is a surprising thing. Because a lot of people don't think of reptiles or chelonians, turtles and tortoises, as like interacting or having some kind of relationship with a person. But these guys actually do.”
Wolf added that as awareness grows, illegal breeding has started to slow down. But with state law barring these tortoises from leaving Arizona, there’s still plenty in need of homes.
The application for tortoise adoption can be found at azgfd.com.
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