PALM DESERT, CA—The head-start tortoise project at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, in a combined effort with other agencies across California, may dramatically increase the survival of the ...

When we left our hut doors open, which we often did to let in air, the tortoises would walk right through. It didn’t matter if we were cooking or sleeping or preparing camera gear. Our quarters ...

In 2002 we and allies won another landmark settlement in which 1.9 million acres of the California Desert Conservation Area were protected against livestock grazing and 18,000 acres of tortoise ...

They hibernate for up to nine months each year and are most active from March to June and September to October. The sleep pays a longevity dividend — the tortoises can live for 50 to 80 years.