C)    Someone is holding a wild tortoise.

The Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agasizii) is a protected species. If you encounter a wild tortoise, it is against the law to touch or harass the tortoise in any way. Only if its life is in danger (like it is in danger of being hit by a car), are you allowed to carefully move the animal to safety by picking him up, keeping him level, and only an inch or two above the ground, preferably with a protective barrier (towel or paper) between your hands and the animal.

    This little tortoise happens to be our own Guacamole, and is not in any danger. He is used to being held his owners! While we

    present domestic tortoises in programs to invite people to feel them, we hope to give people a sense of responsibility once    

    they've had a personal encounter with a desert tortoise. We use our captive torts to discuss the importance of not handling a

    wild tortoise. If  this were a wild tortoise we encountered, we would have just taken some pictures without getting too close to

    cause the animal stress.

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