If you are looking for a new family pet this fall, the Arizona Game and Fish Department suggests you take a chance on a desert tortoise.
Because the Arizona-native species is often subject to illegal captive breeding, they can carry respiratory diseases and thus cannot be released back into the wild.
This year, the department has over 100 of them looking for a home.
The department’s Tortoise Adoption Program matches dozens of the native species to adopters to support their conservation.
The tortoises vary in both age and size. As a state-protected species, they cannot be taken out of Arizona.
More information on the adoption process and creating a suitable habitat for these animals are available at the department’s website.
