A large tortoise that had escaped from an ostrich ranch was rescued just in time from a potentially dangerous situation after being found on a busy Arizona highway.
A Department of Public Safety trooper, with the assistance of a passing motorist, came to the rescue of the tortoise as it made its slow way across Interstate 10. The motorist had alerted authorities after spotting the sulcata tortoise on the interstate in Pinal County, a remote and arid stretch between Phoenix and Tucson.
The determined tortoise had managed to travel approximately three miles before being safely recovered. On the top of its shell, written in fading black ink, was the name “Stitch,” which led troopers to contact the nearby Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch, located about three miles from the scene, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
The ranch confirmed that Stitch was one of their tortoises and had recently escaped. “They were very thankful to have him back safe,” the Arizona Department of Public Safety posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.