A -Desert Tortoise – Do’s & Dont’s

Tortoise crossing RMLT TrailThe Mojave Desert is home to the desert tortoise which is listed as a “Threatened ” species under the Edangered Species Act.  An encounter with a desert tortoise in the wild is a rare treat.

If you see a desert tortoise while in the desert:

  • View it from a distance
  • Do not pick it up.   Tortoise bladders are like cateens; they store water, they reabsorb it directly from the bladder when fresh water is not available.  When frightened, they frequently urinate as a defense mechanism. Loss of this water supply can be fatal.

If you see a desert tortoise wandering in a developed area or find an injured tortoise, please call the tortoise hotline at 702-383-TORT(8678).

Mojave Max suggests the follow guidelines to help protect the desert tortoise: 

  • Stay on established roads & trails.
  • Don’t litter. If you pack it in, pack it out.
  • Leave soil, rocks, plants and animals alone.
  • Respect, protect, and enjoy our desert!

3 Responses to “A -Desert Tortoise – Do’s & Dont’s”

  1. rmltman Says:
    May 28, 2008 at 4:44 pm | Reply

    I received this email from Amanda at SNWA…she set the record straight about our Desert Tortoises:
    Leanne Miller forwarded your blog for the RMLT to me last week and asked if I could provide any comments on the desert tortoise handling. In the blog, it states that an unidentified young male picked up a baby tortoise for everyone to see. I wanted to provide a couple of facts that may be useful information so that others understand the importance of not handling tortoises (of any size).

    1) As you mentioned, they are federally protected. They are listed as threatened, not endangered, but still garner all the same protection levels as an “endangered” species. Therefore, it is illegal to handle, hunt, shoot, harass, pursue, collect or harm in anyway. By handling the tortoise (without being permitted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service), the young man committed a felony act.

    2) Handling tortoises puts unnecessary stress on the individual. As a defense, a tortoise will sometimes vacate their bladder. Because they are adapted to conserve water (basically recycling their urine to provide them with water during drought), when they release their bladder, they release what water they may need to survive. If they are unable to acquire water again for an extended time, they can die from dehydration.

    3) Moving an active (above ground, not hibernating) tortoise a short distance of where it was found is generally not going to kill it (assuming it wasn’t significantly stressed by the event). However, with a baby tortoise, their shell is soft and a person can inadvertently hurt the tortoise by handling it incorrectly or by placing it in an area which may put it at higher risk to predators.

    4) Finally, the only time it is acceptable to handle a tortoise (without being approved by the USFWS) is in the situation of “imminent danger”. This would be the case on a busy street/highway where a tortoise will definitely be injured or killed if it is not moved out of the way. In this case, if it can be done safely, the tortoise should be held on each side of it’s shell and carried (level and low to the ground) to the side of the street/highway it was originally heading. This is the only exception for an un-permitted person to handle a wild tortoise.

    Hope some of this information provides useful to you for your blog.

    Cheers!

    Amanda Neiswenter
    Environmental Coordinator
    Southern Nevada Water Authority
    100 City Parkway, Suite 700
    Las Vegas, Nevada 89106

  2. John fish Says:
    November 12, 2009 at 3:48 pm | Reply

    Thats very good to know… thanks

  3. Bait Boat Says:
    November 27, 2009 at 10:50 pm | Reply

    Enjoyed reading through this site, I will send this site to a few of my friends

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