27th Annual Meeting and Symposium of the
Desert Tortoise Council, March 22-24, 2002
Abstracts

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Desert Tortoise Foster Care Program

Peggy Miller¹ and Ann McLuckie^2
1Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, P.O. Box 146301, SLC, UT 84114; 
²Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 344 E. Sunland Dr. #8, St. George, UT 84790

The Utah Desert Tortoise Foster Care Program was established to prevent illegal adoption of tortoises and the potential spread of disease of released captive tortoises. The general public of Utah is eligible to participate in the Desert Tortoise Foster Care Program with the exception of those individuals who live in Washington, Kane and Garfield Counties. This is to prevent the possible release of captive tortoises into the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.

Most tortoises in the Utah Desert Tortoise Foster Care Program were found in areas associated with high populations centers such as Salt Lake, Utah, and Davis Counties. The Salt Lake City office of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources receives about six tortoises a year that need to be placed in the foster care program. Currently there are 89 active state permits (Certificate of Registration) for desert tortoises, 8 were issued for education or research purposes and 81 were issued to individuals participating in the program.

Finding foster care homes for tortoises in Utah is a challenge. Interested individuals are given an information packet containing the needed forms, care information, and facility requirements. The facility must be approved before an applicant can receive a tortoise. The commitments to provide an appropriate facility and care for the life of the tortoise are the factors that keep most people from entering the Utah Desert Tortoise Foster Care Program.

Time and funding have been limiting factors in the promotion of the Desert Tortoise Foster Care Program. Additional effort is needed to find people willing to care for captive tortoises. Possible solutions include education and Desert Tortoise Foster Care Program information on the Utah Division of Wildlife website, and promotion of the program through herpetological societies in Utah.