Arizona Game and Fish offering free tortoise adoptions

Tortoises being offered up for adoption by Arizona Game and Fish

Arizona Game and Fish officials are trying to adopt out hundreds of tortoises that were once captive, and officials are in a hurry because as soon as some are given away, another batch will arrive. FOX 10's Brian Webb reports.

Arizona Game & Fish is currently in a hard spot, as they are overflowing with tortoises, and they need to find these slow-pokes new homes, and in a hurry.

Officials with Game and Fish say they had over 300 tortoises about a month ago, and that number has since gone down to under 300. However, that's a bit of a "shell game," so to speak, because as soon as officials gave some away, another batch arrives.

"They are normally surrenders, so breeding, moving, out of state owner passes away," said Tegan Wolf with Arizona Game and Fish. "We don’t get anything from the wild. These are all captive tortoises."

Caring for a tortoise is a snap, as they need some grass and vegetables, water, a place to hid, and an occasional pat on the back.

"They do all have their own personalities, for sure," said Wolf. "They all like enjoy being touched. They like their head scratch their chin scratch."

Adopting tortoises out is reportedly a difficult task. Firstly, it is impossible to tell if they are a boy or a girl at an early age. Then, there's the commitment issue, as these creatures live past 80.

For Nancy Buell and her husband, however, commitment didn't appear to be an issue when it comes to pets. They adopted a 70-year-old tortoise named Jebediah.

"I looked at this corner, the garden and everything I was doing, and I thought, 'well with the tortoise, [it] will travel that fast and will live a long time, so I’ll just turn that into a habitat," said Buell.

Now home at Nancy’s house in Tempe, Jeb is already coming out of his shell to check out the new digs. Meanwhile, Buell is celebrating (or should we say ‘shell-abrating’?) the new family member.

"Their habitat is limited, and [Game and Fish] can only do so much," said Buell. "He’s expanded our world like we have expanded his."

While adopting a tortoise is free, those who are interested in adopting will need to send pictures to prove they have the proper set up, including a burrow or den that is away from swimming pools & fire pits.

Tortoise Adoption Information - Arizona Game & Fish

https://www.azgfd.com/wildlife-conservation/living-with-wildlife/wildlife-care-center/tortoise-adoption-information/