# Rescued Texas Tortoise - Please Leave Them In Their Natural Habitat!!!!!!



## AustinASU (Apr 2, 2014)

This is a story of sheer stupidity on someones behalf and the nightmare that I had to deal with following.

It all started back in September 2013 when I received a phone call from a local animal shelter. They knew to call me because I am the only guy who will take turtles or tortoises without question. Anywho, the gave me a quick story saying that a lady just found a turtle of some kind in their front yard and they were going to let it go if no one wanted it. So I contacted the lady who found the turtle and she had zero knowledge of turtles so I added her on Facebook and started sending her random pics of turtles and tortoises. She also mentioned that it had the owners name and phone number written on the turtles shell; so I told her to call the owner and go from there. She called and left a message for the guy to call her back. Meanwhile between our conversation on Facebook, she positively identified the turtle as pic #9, a russian tortoise. I told her to call texas parks and wildlife to so what they. Before she called them she got a phone call from the guy "Joe Reyes" and he said " Ohh i got that turtle like last week from like my buddy in Houston, and he wouldn't eat or nuthin and so I just let him go in the concho river." So as this being evidence to him letting go a non native species I told her that they could probably charge him with that. Anywho I waited to see what was to transpire with Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens; I didn't know if they were going to carry out the charges and take the tortoise or what. After about 4hrs I got a phone call back from the lady saying that the game wardens couldn't press any charges and that I could come pick up the "russian" tortoise. So I was all giddy inside to take in a russian tortoise, sooooo happy. Well as I showed up to their front door they came outside with a box. Remember i'm still excited out of my mind up to this point. Then I opened the box and S#$T hit the fan. It was a male " Texas Tortoise."
The guy was loaded with parasites and super emaciated, I didn't even know if he was going to pull through the next day. I told the lady what she had found and that it is an Endangered species and what it would take to get the permits to own one and what the penalty of owning one without a permit would be. So at this point it was like playing hot potato because she definitely didn't want it and I didn't want it because I don't have the permits. I had to really think about what I was going to do next so I called Kelly!! "Kelly is a freaking saint!!!!" With it being September and the temps were already dropping, this guy was soon to go into brumation in a life threatening state. "Of course it would happen like this, when it rains it poors." Anyways I got him all dewormed and rehydrated and back on a natural staple and he gained nearly a pound! Once I saw that he was in the clear he went into brumation and I put him in a 72F temp regulates room for the winter. Meanwhile all of this was happening our local nature center that i'm involved with actually had the permits to own up to 6 Texas Tortoises. It was almost December when I found out the news of the permits, during those few months I was sweating like a pig trying to find someone who had the permits locally; thankfully they let me be his prime care-taker at the nature center where he now resides legally. So.....yay the Tortoise is now doing great he came out of brumation last week and he likes his new habitat they built for me.....but it'll never be the real thing. So your probably asking yourself " What happened to Joe Reyes?" Well the day that I turned him over to the Nature Center, the took his phone number of the shell (This guy is an Idiot...lols who puts their name and number on an endangered species) and contacted the game Wardens and he did get fined  So in the end everything was a huge success, but it was a lot of work and a lot of time . Being scared to death of not finding someone with permits in time was beyond scary, but I guess God had his hand in all of this.

What I would love for everyone to take from this story is that sometimes taking risks pays off, but most importantly "Please leave animals in their natural habitats!!!!!!!" It would really lower stress levels for the animals and people having to rescue them.


Anywho, here are some pics of "Joe" right before he went into brumation ( FYI he looks a million times better in these pics than when I first received him). Also look at the phone number and name on his shell, it was written in sharpie of all things :/



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## wellington (Apr 2, 2014)

Your Joes Angel Glad you got involved. . Also glad Joe will have a great home.


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## AustinASU (Apr 2, 2014)

I'm glad I did too, although I have to admit it made me feel like I was on my tippy toes the whole time having him. and I'm glad that justice was served on the legal side of things.


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## wellington (Apr 2, 2014)

Oh, yes, I forgot to say, I was very disappointed when I read they weren't going to do anything, then very happy when I read they did fine him


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## AustinASU (Apr 2, 2014)

Yes, i made sure I called the right person in charge that day. No telling what genetics were removed from his local breeding group now, with him never being able to return to his native land, we definately don't want to see another tragedy like the desert tortoise.


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## leigti (Apr 2, 2014)

This may be a really stupid question but why couldn't the tortoise be returned to the wild? Was it because there was writing on his shell?


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## AustinASU (Apr 2, 2014)

Not a stupid question at all, the main reason is if he contracted some form of respiratory infection during captivity it would spread to any tortoise he came in contact with. he more than likely wouldn't die due to his immune system being somewhat immune to it, but all of the wild ones would contract the respiratory and infection and would die. This happened to the desert tortoise in California and Nevada, people would keep them as pets and take them to the vet when they got sick and when they couldn't keep them they would let them go back into the wild. Little did they know that their tortoise was a ticking time bomb that literally would wipe out a whole colony of tortoises in that region. Pathogens are another threat to.


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## leigti (Apr 2, 2014)

Oh okay. So wild tortoises don't normally get respiratory infections? Is that because their habitat is exactly what they need, unlike what we can provide in captivity?


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## AustinASU (Apr 2, 2014)

Correct, normally not....I mean there are cases I'm sure but not many. In those cases I'm sure the tortoise would become immobilized quickly and would die faster. One in captivity has the immune system due to us helping the, out medically- they will always be very susceptible to having another RI though so it's just a matter of time or climate change.


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## leigti (Apr 2, 2014)

Thank you for explaining that. It is always sad when I Animal cannot stay in it's natural habitats or be returned to it.


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## bouaboua (Apr 3, 2014)

What a story. And you are right: God to have the hand on all things. God bless your heart and all hard works.


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## AustinASU (Apr 3, 2014)

I agree leigti, the only thing we can hope now is that he lives a healthy life in captivity. And thank you bouaboua, I couldn't have done what I did without the help of some members on this forum.


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## AustinASU (Apr 3, 2014)

Looks Like Joe will be having his own sectioned off area to roam  Very exciting news!!!


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