{"id":18716,"date":"2025-05-02T14:15:57","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T21:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/?p=18716"},"modified":"2025-05-02T14:15:58","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T21:15:58","slug":"azgfd-give-desert-tortoises-right-of-way-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/05\/02\/azgfd-give-desert-tortoises-right-of-way-2\/","title":{"rendered":"AZGFD: Give desert tortoises right of way\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>NEWS RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>May 2, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PHOENIX \u2014 This is the time of year when Arizona\u2019s trails and backroads can seem more like busy city streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) supports all forms of safe, responsible outdoor recreation, those who operate a variety of motorized vehicles are being urged to pump the brakes and give a much slower \u201ctraveler\u201d the right of way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A protected species, desert tortoises are traversing the same trails and backroads \u2014 but, in typical desert tortoise fashion, they do it in low gear.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AZGFD\u2019s Chad Rubke, turtles project coordinator, said desert tortoises have it rough. In addition to drought, wildfires, and the invasion of exotic plant and wildlife species, desert tortoises can face a high mortality rate from motorized vehicles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re hoping to raise awareness with all users and encourage them to be extra vigilant while recreating this spring,\u201d Rubke said. \u201cDesert tortoises are well-camouflaged, which makes them difficult to spot until it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A few tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Stay on established trails and backroads<\/strong>. Venturing off the beaten path can harm desert tortoise habitat, or the reptiles themselves.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Slow down, scan ahead<\/strong>. Desert tortoises blend into their surroundings remarkably well. They can be especially difficult to spot in rolling terrain and in dusty conditions when visibility is reduced.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Check under vehicles<\/strong>. Desert tortoises seeking shade sometimes rest under parked vehicles.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When encountering a desert tortoise:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Keep them wild<\/strong>. It\u2019s important for their survival to remain in their natural habitat. If a potentially injured desert tortoise has been observed, or even a healthy one found in a populated area, call AZGFD\u2019s Desert Tortoise Adoption program at 844-896-5730 so the best decision can be made for that animal. It\u2019s illegal and detrimental to desert tortoise populations to collect them from the wild.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Observe from a distance<\/strong>. Desert tortoises are best viewed without disturbance. Keep pets and children away to avoid stressing the reptile.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Report the observation<\/strong>. AZGFD biologists would like to know where and when a desert tortoise has been encountered in the wild. Email details to <a href=\"mailto:turtlesproject@azgfd.gov\"><strong>turtlesproject@azgfd.gov<\/strong><\/a>. A photo also can be sent, as long as the desert tortoise wasn\u2019t touched in the taking of the photo.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A protected species, the desert tortoise is vulnerable to popular recreation activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":7189,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main-site"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>AZGFD: Give desert tortoises right of way\u00a0\u00a0 - Arizona Game &amp; Fish Department<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/05\/02\/azgfd-give-desert-tortoises-right-of-way-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AZGFD: Give desert tortoises right of way\u00a0\u00a0 - Arizona Game &amp; 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