Reptiles Magazine
Arizona Game & Fish Has More Than 100 Sonoran Desert Tortoises For Adoption
A free virtual tortoise adoption information session via Zoom at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 10, Arizona time.
March 10, 2021
A hatchling desert tortoise. Photo by U.S. Geological Survey
If you live in the state of Arizona and are considering a tortoise, the Arizona Game & Fish department announced it will hold an adoption event for Sonoran desert tortoises (
Gopherus morafkai) it has in its possession.
Register for a free
“Many people don’t even consider opening up their homes to desert tortoises, but they make fantastic and personable pets,” Tegan Wolf, desert tortoise adoption program coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) said in a statement announcing the adoption event.
Tortoise adoption season is upon us. Yes, you read correctly. You can adopt a desert tortoise through the Arizona Game and Fish Department and add a new member to your household while helping conserve and protect these animals.
But the desert reptiles can’t be taken home without some preparation. You first need to equip yourself with the information at azgfd.com and get your yard ready for a tortoise to live in.
And know that adopting a tortoise is a long-term commitment: Desert tortoises have a lifespan of 80 to 100 years.
Interested? Arizona Game and Fish is offering a Zoom call this week to explain the process. In announcing the tortoise adoption how-to session, Tegan Wolf, the desert tortoise adoption program coordinator, said, “Many people don’t even consider opening up their homes to desert tortoises, but they make fantastic and personable pets.”
A Sonoran desert tortoise.
“Many people don’t even consider opening up their homes to desert tortoises, but they make fantastic and personable pets,” said Tegan Wolf, desert tortoise adoption program coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD).
“It’s rewarding to hear stories from those who have adopted a captive tortoise and made them part of the family, because they’re a unique alternative to traditional family pets. They offer many of the same life lessons to children, and they can provide just as much companionship and personality as a dog or cat.”
Due primarily to illegal breeding, AZGFD has more than 100 tortoises of various ages and sizes available for adoption. Captive tortoises grow up to about 14 inches long and can live upward of 100 years. They cannot be released back into the wild, however, because they could spread diseases that harm wild populations.