Speedy Desert Tortoise is Finally Safe After Covering 3 Miles and Entering a Highway Following Ranch Jailbreak

nnWhy did the tortoise cross the road?nnOr better yet, how did the tortoise outpace its keepers for 3 miles before crossing the road?nnThese are no doubt questions that a local ostrich ranch in the Arizona town of Picacho will be asking after state troopers called and asked if they were missing a large desert tortoise.nnThe charade began on July 30th when a Department of Public Safety trooper received a call from a concerned citizen that a sulcata tortoise as big as a Thanksgiving turkey was trying to cross Interstate 10 between Casa Grande and Tuscon.nnDPS Sgt. Steven Sekrecki arrived on the scene and located the large reptile who was at that point still unharmed.nnOn its shell, the Sergeant noticed the word “Stich” written in pen, and assumed it was held by a facility near by.nnAccording to the Arizona Republic, a local ostrich range confirmed Stitch was one of their resident tortoises and had recently escaped from his habitat.nnThe speedy tortoise had managed to wander 3 miles from the ranch before it made itself known on the highway.nnLOVE FOR OUR BROTHERS IN SCALES: 500 Giant Tortoises Reintroduced to Four Galapagos Islands in 2023nnThe sulcata, or African spurred tortoise, is actually an endangered species of reptile and is native to the Sahara Desert, not North America.nnApproximately 9,000 tortoises were taken from the wild for the illegal pet trade between 1990 and 2010. It makes for a good pet because it’s incredibly docile and not territorial, while also being the third-largest species of tortoise in the world, behind the Aldabara giant tortoise and those of the Galapagos.nnYOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Town Saves the Threatened Bum-Breathing Punk Turtle–a 9lb Wonder Found Only in the Mary RivernnSuddenly, Sergeant Sekrecki’s reptile rescue became one of tangible value to global wildlife conservation, and for that we salute him.nnSHARE This Remarkable Escape Attempt By This Beautiful Tortoise…