15 desert tortoises are looking for a yard to call home

A Mojave desert tortoise. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is seeking adopters for 15 captive tortoises that cannot be released into the wild. Photo: Utah DWR

They hibernate half the year, eat your weeds, and can live up to 70 — Utah wildlife officials are taking applications

SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Utah wildlife officials are looking for homes for 15 captive desert tortoises that cannot be released into the wild because of disease concerns and protections for wild populations.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is accepting applications through its Desert Tortoise Adoption Program, which began in the 1990s to place captive tortoises that are not eligible for release. Mojave Desert tortoises are native to areas north and west of the Colorado River in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and California, and were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1990.

In Utah, the species’ native range is in Washington County, where growth, recreation, and development have increased the likelihood of encounters between people and tortoises. It is illegal to collect or remove desert tortoises from the wild, release captive tortoises into the wild, or transport them into Utah without proper certification, according to DWR.

“Removing tortoises from the wild can harm wild populations by reducing their ability to reproduce and sustain themselves on the landscape,” DWR Native Herpetology Coordinator Alyssa Hoekstra said in a statement.

Tortoises removed from the wild cannot be returned because of the risk of introducing diseases, Hoekstra said, particularly upper respiratory tract disease, which has been linked to population declines and causes symptoms similar to pneumonia.

The agency said it occasionally receives tortoises that have been illegally removed from the wild, illegally kept in captivity, or surrendered by adopters who are moving. Owners moving into Utah from another state must apply for certification to bring the animal with them; otherwise, the tortoise must be returned to the approved adoption facility where it was originally obtained.

The adoption process requires applicants to submit an application, pay a $10 handling fee, and design safe indoor and outdoor environments that meet DWR guidelines. Once the habitat is inspected and approved, adopters pay a $75 certificate-of-registration fee.

Adopters must live in Utah but cannot live in Washington County, where the species occurs naturally. Tortoises can live 60 to 70 years, and adopters are responsible for veterinary costs, according to DWR.

“Captive tortoises make great pets,” Hoekstra said. “They have their own unique personality, they will gladly eat the weeds in your backyard, and they are fairly independent as long as they have shade and food.”

The animals hibernate for roughly five months each year, Hoekstra said, making them relatively low maintenance for qualified owners.

Most of Utah’s desert tortoises live in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, which has more than 2,000 adult tortoises.