A 50-pound tortoise was found wandering through a park in San Antonio, Texas, after digging out of his human’s backyard.
According to a Facebook post from the City of San Antonio Animal Care Services (San Antonio ACS), people walking through the park found the large tortoise on August 7. They knew that because there are no native tortoises that grow to that size, he was likely someone’s pet. They made a report to 3-1-1, and Animal Care Officers Huron and Alvarado arrived at the scene shortly after.
They estimated that the tortoise weighed over 50 pounds, and it took both officers to transport the tortoise, Walter, off of the trail and back to their vehicle. They then brought him to Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, Inc.
“While we are unsure if Walter was let loose or simply wandered away from home, we are glad he is getting the love and care he deserves now that he is with Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, Inc… Thank you to the kind residents who called in, our Animal Care Officers, and Wildlife Rescue for helping this tortoise in need!”
The Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation told PEOPLE that the tortoise was claimed by his human the next day.
Tortoises, like all other animals, were not designed to entertain humans. While we may want to think that keeping an animal as a pet in our warm and happy homes is inherently helpful, that’s not always the case. Tortoises are perfectly happy living in the wild and should not be bred in captivity or sold in cheaply fabricated containers.
Taking these animals from the wild to keep as pets is driving them toward extinction, which not only eliminates a species but puts others in danger by disrupting delicate ecosystems. Exotic animals belong in the wild.
If the demand for exotic pets did not exist, the exotic pet trade would not exist. So, if you agree that keeping exotic animals as pets is cruel, don’t support it either. Do not buy from pet shops or dealers. Leave the wild in the wild.
This article by Hailey Kanowski was first published by OneGreenPlanet on 22 August 2022. Lead Image Source : tomowen/Shutterstock.
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