‘It isn’t a puppy.’ Officer rushes to save tiny baby animal found in Arizona dog park
An officer rushed to save a baby creature that was spotted wandering around an Arizona dog park.
A woman found the small tortoise Monday, Sept. 18, in Oro Valley, the local police department said in a Facebook post.
“Well, it isn’t a puppy, but still cute,” police said in the post.
The tortoise roamed into the dog park and couldn’t find a way out.
So an officer helped relocate it to a “safer area nearby” because police said the tortoise was in an unsafe area for it to survive.
“Not all calls to our department are emergencies, but all of them are important to someone or something,” police said.
There are two native tortoises in Arizona: the Sonoran desert tortoise and the Mojave desert tortoise, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
These animals have been protected under Arizona law since 1988, wildlife officials said. It’s illegal to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect this animal in any part of the state.”
If someone finds an injured tortoise or one in a populated area, they can call the Desert Tortoise Adoption Program at 844-896-5730.
Oro Valley is about 10 miles north of Tucson.
This story was originally published September 19, 2023 at 1:28 PM with the headline "‘It isn’t a puppy.’ Officer rushes to save tiny baby animal found in Arizona dog park."
