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About 200 Sonoran desert tortoises looking for forever homes

desert tortoises
Posted at 11:23 AM, Jun 29, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-29 14:23:19-04

PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department has about 200 Sonoran desert tortoises that are looking for forever homes.

The AZGFD's desert tortoise adoption program coordinator Tegan Wolf says the tortoises are a wide range of ages and sizes, and they have so many primarily due to illegal breeding.

Captive tortoises can grow to be 14 inches long and live 80 to 100 years.

Arizona residents interested in adopting should review the Tortoise Adoption Program page on the department’s website. How to properly care for a desert tortoise, including instructions on how to build a burrow also are included.

Once the burrow is completed, potential adopters can submit an online application here.

AZGFD allows for one tortoise to be adopted per person, per household, but an additional tortoise of the same sex can be adopted if it is placed in a completely separate enclosure, as these reptiles can be territorial. Federal law prohibits desert tortoises from being transported across state lines.