It takes a village or a Phoenix suburb to wrangle a wayward tortoise

"The giant sulcata tortoise came lumbering down a suburban Phoenix street one recent spring evening. A gaggle of dumbfounded neighbors milled about him. I was among them. Questions swirled. Where did he come from? How far had he come? Was he hungry? Thirsty? Tired? His unlikely stroll down a sidewalk stirred the neighborhood into a tizzy and set in motion a multi-pronged effort to find his owners."

"When sulcatas hatch, they're the size of golf balls. "They're so damn cute, you can't help but [say] 'Oh, I want to take one or two of these home for my kids,'" said Dan Marchand, founder of the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary. "But it doesn't take long before it's taken up your yard. It's tearing up your garden. It's knocking over furniture.""

"They may start out tiny, but African sulcatas grow to be the third-largest tortoise in the world. The U.S. banned their importation in the early 2000s, but breeding remains legal. They can weigh up to 200 pounds and live up to 150 years. Rex himself is at least a couple feet long."

"Some are sold in small, plastic pet carriers. But they require large, grassy outdoor enclosures to roam and graze in, access to clean water and dry, warm shelter during winter months. And they're diggers. But many people don't know any of this when they buy the tortoises. They're often sold as novelties at reptile shows with very little information on how much care they require."

A giant sulcata tortoise named Rex walked down a suburban Phoenix street, shocking neighbors and triggering efforts to locate his owners. The incident reflects how difficult sulcata ownership can be despite the pet trade’s popularity. Sulcatas hatch as golf-ball-sized animals that attract buyers, but they quickly outgrow small spaces and can damage yards by tearing up gardens and knocking over furniture. African sulcatas can reach up to 200 pounds and live as long as 150 years. Importation was banned in the early 2000s, while breeding remains legal. Proper care requires large grassy outdoor enclosures, clean water, warm dry shelter in winter, and secure dig-proof conditions. Many buyers learn too little because tortoises are sold as novelties at reptile shows.

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