Reintroduced Mojave Desert Tortoise Emerge From Their Burrows in Headstart Success

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens announced April 15 that 70 critically endangered Mojave Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) that is a part of a headstart program have successfully emerged from their winter burrows on Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California.Headstarting in this case combined one to two years of indoor captive care at the Living Desert that enabled the tortoises to grow three to five times their size.