The Daily Populous Monday August 12nd, 2024 day edition
Authored by abcnews.go.com and submitted by PandaMuffin1

The sulcata tortoise was attempting to cross an Arizona interstate near Picacho.

Large desert tortoise rescued from Arizona highway after escaping from ostrich ranch 3 miles away

PICACHO, Ariz. -- How long does it take a large desert tortoise to get to the other side of a southern Arizona highway?

It’s still a mystery, after a state Department of Public Safety trooper recently helped rescue an escaped sulcata tortoise that was attempting to cross Interstate 10 near Picacho.

A motorist contacted authorities on July 30 to report a tortoise trying to cross the busy highway that's halfway between Casa Grande and Tucson in Pinal County.

The motorist and DPS Sgt. Steven Sekrecki managed to get the tortoise off the roadway unharmed.

Troopers saw the name “Stitch” labeled across the tortoise’s shell and contacted an ostrich ranch that was 3 miles away.

According to the Arizona Republic, the ranch confirmed Stitch was one of their resident tortoises and had recently escaped from his habitat.

The newspaper said Stitch was then safely returned to the ranch.

photo-manipulation on August 12nd, 2024 at 05:15 UTC »

I'm glad we can microchip them here in the uk. That way it would go straight back to the owner.

Is microchipping something that the US is going to consider in the future?

Just that the majority of lost or lost and found tortoises posts on here are from the US it seems.

twitchingdoc on August 11st, 2024 at 23:36 UTC »

You mean it… ran away?

bingwhip on August 11st, 2024 at 23:32 UTC »

Rooster Cogburn's ostrich ranch?!