The desert tortoise is arguably one of the most iconic animals native to areas of the Morongo Basin. With urban expansion intersecting with tortoise habitat, tortoises will often need to cross roads to find food, water, or mates, and several tortoises are killed by vehicles each year. Desert Tortoises are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act and are normally not to be interacted with. However, if you see a tortoise in immanent danger of being killed on the road, Joshua Tree National Park has produced a video on, “when and how”, to safely move a tortoise out of the road. The video suggests not touching the tortoise with bare hands, moving the tortoise low to the ground and slowly in the direction it is already traveling, and setting it around 100 feet off the roadway in a shady spot. The full Joshua Tree National Park video is available in the link below.
WATCH OUT FOR DESERT TORTOISES ON MORONGO BASIN ROADS
