Releasing Captive Tortoises

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Under no circumstances should a captive tortoise be released into

the wild.  Recent studies have demonstrated that all captive

tortoises die soon after being released in the wild.  Captive

tortoises do not adapt well to the rigors of life in the wild and

to feeding on native plants and other vegetation.  Desert

tortoises are territorial and may fight to the death when

introduced into an established tortoise's range.  Further,

captive tortoises may introduce diseases of captivity into the

wild tortoise population for which wild tortoises have little or

no immunity.