Runaway tortoise from southern Utah found safe
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Arianne Brown, KSL
ST. GEORGE, Utah (KSL) — An 11-year-old tortoise has been found four days after having run away from her southern Utah home, and is now resting at home munching on a red pepper.
The tortoise’s owner, Josh Capps, said she wandered into their yard and was found “standing in the dirt,” adding that she was “either dropped off or got her fill of the wild and wanted back in her heated shed.”
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KSL reported on the tortoise on Wednesday when neighbors turned the street into a salad to lure her out. Capps also offered a $200 cash reward. The family believes that she had made her way over some rubble in the backyard that was left over from some remodeling.
“We were doing an addition on our house and our side gate is built up with construction blocks to keep her in and she (must have) climbed over something we didn’t think she could climb over,” Capps said. “We scoured that area for two days before spreading out into the neighborhood. (We found her) just standing in the dirt in the construction area this morning, and we have had guys working there for days.”
The tortoise’s name is Yertle and is a sulcata/African spurred tortoise that the Capps family rescued three years ago. They said they are grateful for the community support and they’re glad to have her home.