The Arizona Game and Fish Department says that now that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed a comprehensive scientific review of the status of the Sonoran desert tortoise, the animal does not warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The Service found that the tortoise is not at risk of extinction in the foreseeable future. The Service has found the Sonoran desert tortoise currently occupies much of its historical range where populations remain stable, with estimates in the hundreds of thousands of adult tortoises.
The available survey data have not indicated systematic declines or extirpations.
The primary threats to the Sonoran desert tortoise include: invasive nonnative vegetation and altered wildfire regimes, human development, human harassment and drought. Alone or in combination, these stressors remove or degrade habitat suitability over time and/or reduce Sonoran desert tortoise survivorship.
While several of these threats, mainly development and drought, may increase in scope or severity over time, the species and its associated habitat are projected to remain at levels that do not threaten the survival of the Sonoran desert tortoise in the foreseeable future.
Natural resource managers continue to implement conservation measures to reduce impacts to Sonoran desert tortoises and their habitat. Collectively, 72% of Sonoran desert tortoise habitat in Arizona is managed by natural resource agencies or Tribal ownership.
Adapted for the desert, these long-lived herbivores spend most of their time below ground, sheltering in rocky desert slopes or dry creek beds, emerging to take advantage of rain events. Precipitation, particularly the summer monsoons, encourages the plant growth that Sonoran desert tortoises feed upon.
The collection of wild Sonoran desert tortoises in the U.S. remains prohibited. However, there remains significant concern over the surplus of Sonoran desert tortoises in captivity that need homes as a result of unplanned or unmanaged breeding of captive tortoises. Arizona residents interested in adopting a tortoise are encouraged to apply with the Arizona Game and Fish Department HERE.