Tortoise ID - Trying to get my pet home

MinaG

New Member
Joined
May 11, 2017
Messages
5
Hey everyone!
As the title says, I need some help identifying a tortoise. She was a gift from my grandmother (over 23 years ago), who lived in Sonora (and she probably picked her up off the highway).

In any case, we moved a lot, and along came the tortoise for several years.
In the end, we had to leave her in Peru with a friend, because she was too big to fit in a cargo pants pocket by then.
We did attempt at that time to get a permit for guardian status or license of some sort, but the biologist who we contacted wanted to keep her and offered to buy her, but not to emit a species certificate for her. :/

This year, I'll be able to go to Peru again so I thought I'd try now, as an "adult" to bring my pet back with me. I emailed a photo to someone from the Ministry of Agriculture in Peru, who informed me it was a Peruvian species and that I should surrender it immediately. He didn't say which species it was, just a short sentence of warning, so I'm afraid the same thing as last time is happening. I highly doubt my grandmother somehow procured a peruvian tortoise somehow, and she's not around to ask anymore.

I only had the one photo on hand (attached), so I'm curious to know what you peeps think from it. I guess she could look like a red-footed tortoise if you really wanted? I realize the angle isn't particularly good for iD'ing purposes.
I'm looking for more pictures to help with the ID, and I've texted my friend to send me new ones as well.

Also, if she is Gopherus Morafkai, I realize that species is protected under CITES II, in which case I'd just let her be.

Thanks everyone!

tortuga01.jpg
 

Yvonne G

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Did your grandmother get the tortoise in Sonora, CAlifornia or Sonora Mexico?

It looks like a California desert tortoise to me. I'm afraid I'm not going to be any help in getting the tortoise back into the states though. Or - I'm just assuming "the states." Where are you trying to bring the tortoise to?
 

Greta16

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Mar 17, 2017
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378
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Western Maine
She's a pretty girl. I wish you all the best in being reunited. Hopefully she's a CA species!! Crossing my fingers? How did you get her to Peru, your pocket?
 

MinaG

New Member
Joined
May 11, 2017
Messages
5
Did your grandmother get the tortoise in Sonora, CAlifornia or Sonora Mexico?

It looks like a California desert tortoise to me. I'm afraid I'm not going to be any help in getting the tortoise back into the states though. Or - I'm just assuming "the states." Where are you trying to bring the tortoise to?

Sonora, Mexico, and trying to bring her back to Mexico. C:
 

MinaG

New Member
Joined
May 11, 2017
Messages
5
She's a pretty girl. I wish you all the best in being reunited. Hopefully she's a CA species!! Crossing my fingers? How did you get her to Peru, your pocket?
Yep, in a pocket. She was maybe 3 or four inches long when we moved there. She fit comfortably in my child-hand xD
 

MinaG

New Member
Joined
May 11, 2017
Messages
5
Here's more pictures.
Why shouldn't she eat tomatoes? She gets a lot of different vegetables.
(Also, there's a dog in one of the pictures, but they're never left alone together.)
 

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