Large desert tortoise rescued from Arizona highway after escaping from ostrich ranch 3 miles away

PICACHO, Ariz. (AP) — How long does it take a large desert tortoise to get to the other side of a southern Arizona highway?

It’s still a mystery, after a state Department of Public Safety trooper recently helped rescue an escaped sulcata tortoise that was attempting to cross Interstate 10 near Picacho.

A motorist contacted authorities on July 30 to report a tortoise trying to cross the busy highway that’s halfway between Casa Grande and Tucson in Pinal County.

The motorist and DPS Sgt. Steven Sekrecki managed to get the tortoise off the roadway unharmed.

Troopers saw the name “Stitch” labeled across the tortoise’s shell and contacted an ostrich ranch that was 3 miles away.

According to the Arizona Republic, the ranch confirmed Stitch was one of their resident tortoises and had recently escaped from his habitat.

The newspaper said Stitch was then safely returned to the ranch.