Don't touch that wild desert tortoise, Arizona Game and Fish warns

Monsoon rains in the Valley can bring out many kinds of wildlife — including desert tortoises.

Arizona Game and Fish Department officials this week are reminding residents to leave wild tortoises alone. In Arizona, taking a wild tortoise from the desert is illegal.

Officials said in a press release Wednesday that if the reptile is moved to an unfamiliar location, it “will not know where to find food and shelter, and it likely will die:”

If you see a tortoise in a busy area, officials say call 844-896-5730, so Game and Fish can determine if the animal needs help.

“A tortoise in the road is simply trying to get to the other side, and the best thing anyone can do is to leave it in the wild,” said Chad Rubke, Game and Fish’s turtles project coordinator.

Rubke also cautioned tortoise owners about releasing them back into the wild.

“We cannot stress enough how detrimental it is to let a captive tortoise go free in the wild,” Rubke said in a statement. “Captive desert tortoises cannot be released into the wild, as they can pass diseases to wild populations and displace wild tortoises. It is also illegal to release captive desert tortoises into the wild.”

In April, Game and Fish said it was caring for more than 100 rescued and surrendered Sonoran desert tortoises.

Anyone interested in adopting a desert tortoise can apply through Arizona’s Tortoise Adoption Program.