- A St. George neighborhood transformed a street into a salad to find a missing tortoise.
- Owner Josh Capps is offering a $200 reward for the missing tortoise's return.
- Yertle, a sulcata tortoise, escaped during home renovations and is likely nearby.
ST. GEORGE — An 11-year-old tortoise has run away, and a southern Utah neighborhood has turned its street into a salad to lure her out.
The tortoise has been missing since Sunday, and a $200 cash reward is being offered.
"Our neighborhood community is working hard to find her," said owner Josh Capps. "We put some strawberries and red peppers down the street. We've turned the road into a salad to see if we can coax her out."
The tortoise's name is Yertle, and she is a sulcata/African spurred tortoise. Capps and his family rescued her three years ago from a situation described as "difficult." He said that as far as he's aware, Yertle doesn't have a reason to run away, other than her venturesome nature.
"She free roams in our backyard," he said. "She has her own shed that is insulated with heaters for the winter. She doesn't have a reason to leave except for her adventurous spirit."
Capps said they first noticed the tortoise was missing on Sunday. He also said it isn't uncommon for tortoises to go "missing," adding that they are usually hiding in the backyard.
"The first thing we do is comb the backyard for new spots or burrows," Capps said. "We usually do that for the first couple of days because she's good at hiding. She got out once and was found across the street the same day, which was about a week and a half ago. We think it gave her a taste of adventure."
Capps said they were doing renovations on their home and believed she had found a way through the rubble. He has called all the local shelters but doesn't think Yertle has run away too far.
"If she was really motivated, she's probably within 4-5 houses away," he said. "If it's mating season for her, she might trek a bit of distance looking for love."
Another fear Capps has is that someone mistaking Yertle for a local desert tortoise and releasing her back into the wild. She has a slightly different look from the Mojave Desert tortoise.
"We don't think anyone would snatch her up and take her home," he said. "The local tortoises are rounder and they're a little more brown. (Yertle) has a spur behind her head that flares up. The local tortoises don't have that. She'll be bigger than the local tortoises. She's about the same size as the biggest tortoise you'll find out there."
Capps is offering a $200 reward for anyone who finds Yertle, but also asks that those looking, please respect private property.
"She is around 30 pounds, over 12 inches tall, and 24-30 inches long," he said. "If someone would like to get some steps in and do some exercises, we'd love the help. She's probably within a mile radius around our house. We're really hoping that she'll come out and eat some dandelions and we can bring her home."
The Capps live in the area of Sunset Plateau just south of the Dutch Bros by Santa Clara.
Anyone who finds Yertle is asked to contact the St. George City Animal Shelter at 435-627-4350.
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Arianne Brown
