We have worked several adoption events for Arizona Game & Fish. Most animals up for adoption at these events are dogs. Other animals include cats, rats, occasional rabbits, and perhaps others we have yet to spot. But even though our booth is the only one with tortoises up for adoption, we have yet to be able to bring a tortoise with us because most are in their burrows for the winter.
Until a couple days ago!
Live Tortoise
Since we have a small collection of snakes, we have been toting them with us to these events. After all, like tortoises, they are reptiles. And they lure a few people into our area so that we can interact with them about adopting a tortoise.
But at the most recent adoption occasion, we were able to bring a live tortoise who had emerged from brumation (not a true hibernation). When we placed her on the grass in front of our table, she stayed still for a short period before turning around and walking toward the next booth and beyond, surrounded by an ever expanding group of admirers. I followed closely to be sure I didn’t lose track of her, as well as monitoring the behavior of her groupies.
Getting Acquainted
As she wandered from booth to booth, lane to lane, children stooped to touch her shell and watch her progress. “Always stay away from the head,” we told them. “Anything with a mouth can bite.” Parents smiled at their kids and asked us questions about adopting a tortoise. Several appeared more than interested and took the literature away with them.
Working at these events is always fun. It’s usually a six-hour day, not including travel and set up time. At the end of the day, we are fairly exhausted. But on this day, time flew by as we followed the only tortoise at the event. Being unique also lured curious folks to check it out.
Ready to Adopt?
Snakes are always a draw, but they are not up for adoption. Having a live tortoise to demonstrate how interesting and personable they are left people considering whether or not they could adopt a tortoise of their own!
What a fun thing for you to be doing . I never thought of a tortoise for a pet, but it looks like a definite possibility for some of those folks. How in the world did “Adopt a Tortoise” come onto being? Good to have new posting!
In Arizona, there’s many desert tortoises kept as pets, some illegally due to improper habitat. Too many humans have taken a tortoise out of the desert, brought it home and failed some of the required protocols in care and feeding. And, too many tortoises have also been released into the desert which can cause disease to the tortoises that live there. AZ Game & Fish will accept those critters that are unwanted, give them a health check and then put them up for adoption.
Good to see your post, Betty! Keep doing what you love and do best!💙💙💙
Thanks, Carol!