Living Desert Zoo & Gardens continue conservation efforts for desert tortoises

The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens has completed phase one of its conservation efforts to help desert tortoises, an endangered species in Coachella Valley's backyard.

For seven months the zoo has housed 69 desert tortoises helping them grow in size.

This is what the conservation team at The Living Desert called the "head-starting" process.

“Head starting is a conservation practice where conservationists can actually come in and work with the wild population of an endangered species to actually give them a jump ahead in life," explain Lexi Beaty, an assistant conservation biologist.

All it took was temperature control, a nutrient-rich diet, and water to keep the tortoises from going into brumation during the winter. By keeping the tortoises awake for the last seven months the zoo was able to grow them to the size of what a two to three-year-old tortoise would be.

The Director of Conservation, Dr. James Danoff at The Living Desert said by growing them to this size, it helps them not become prey when they are released back into the desert.

Growing the tortoises is just the first step of the process. On Wednesday they were transported to Edward's Air Force Base, where they will now learn how to live in the wild, how to avoid predators, and how to feed themselves.

Eventually, they will be released in the Mojave Desert.

“If we don’t care for them, who will? We are here, they are our animals, they are our state reptiles," said Danoff. "We have to care for them and we take that on ourselves in a great diversity of ways, and this is one of them.”

Danoff said desert tortoises are found north of the Coachella Valley. This isn't the first time the conservation team at The Living Desert has helped desert tortoises in this way. However, it is the first time that its cared for and grown this many at once.

The zoo plans to continue its efforts to help the desert tortoises.