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Joshua Tree National Park Visitors Cautioned To Watch For Desert Tortoises On Road

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Published Date

July 7, 2015
Desert Tortoise at Joshua Tree National Park/NPS

Joshua Tree visitors should watch out for desert tortoises on the park's roads/NPS

If it looks like a tortoise and walks like a tortoise, it probably is a tortoise, and Joshua Tree National Park officials hope you'll take care and not run them over.

With monsoonal weather in the California desert, you just might come upon one of the park's desert tortoises on roadways as they search out puddles for a drink. Because of their presence on the roads, tortoises are extremely vulnerable to being hit by cars, park biologists point out.

To help you understand how to deal with a desert tortoise should you come upon one while driving through Joshua Tree, the park has produced the following video that shows you when and how to safely move a tortoise out of the road. Keep in mind that tortoises should only be handled in emergency situations.

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