Nine rescued Mojave desert tortoises call the Red Rock Canyon NCA visitor center home. This program supports their care and protects other tortoises in the wild.
Our seven females—Betty, Libby, Mae, Suger, Roxie, Stella, and Baby share one habitat and each of our two males, Max and Hugo, have their own to prevent territorial aggression. Our tortoises range in age from approximately 5 to 85 years old. Max is the only one whose age is not an estimate–he was hatched in a private home in April 1989. All of our tortoises are rescues and cannot be released back into the wild. Some of them were kept as pets in private homes and others were injured in the wild and were taken to Tortoise Group, a local nonprofit that educates and advocates for the protection and well-being of the desert tortoise.
The Mojave Desert tortoise (Gopherus agasssizii) is the state reptile of Nevada, designated in 1989, and is listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. It is legal to adopt a tortoise in Nevada and serve as a custodian, but tortoises cannot be taken from the wild and can only be legally adopted through Tortoise Group. We are licensed by the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) to serve as custodians for these special animals!
Friends is committed to caring for our tortoises by providing food, supplies, and veterinary care. Our tortoises eat a diet of vegetarian tortoise pellets, fresh greens and occasional prickly pear cactus treats (when in bloom). We have a wonderful team of volunteers who are specially trained to interact safely with our tortoises to provide regular care and help educate visitors. Our volunteers are also able to help alert us to possible medical conditions that may need attention.
The tortoises receive annual veterinary visits, and do occasionally require emergency care. For example, Roxie needed antibiotics after damaging her eye with a stick and Libby needed surgery for bladder stones. These emergency visits can be very costly and are fully covered by Friends of Red Rock Canyon.
If you would like to contribute to the care and preservation of these incredible animals, you can donate using the form on this page. Your support helps to ensure the continued well-being of the tortoises and their habitat for future generations.
Coming soon: more ways to support our Mojave Desert tortoises through our Support-A-Tort Program.
2025 Friends of Red Rock Canyon
