ANSONIA – Two tortoises found abandoned near Beaver Street last week are dead, Ansonia Animal Control Officer Jeanne Roslonowski said March 12.
Both tortoises were dead from the cold when they were found March 6 – but a veterinarian placed one on an incubator in an attempt to bring it back to life.
“She said it sounds crazy, but sometimes you can bring them back,” Roslonowski said.
Roslonowski said the tortoise was given 24 hours on the incubator, after which it was taken off and pronounced dead.
She added that neither tortoise had a microchip. Police said there are currently no leads as to who abandoned the tortoises.
“At this point, we’re kind of trying to figure out what our next move is. Someone obviously dumped the tortoises there, but we don’t have any video or anything we could try to piggyback off of,” Lt. Patrick Lynch told The Valley Indy.
Lynch said the tortoises were found in a wooded area, far from any houses or businesses.
The story went viral on social media, but the awareness has not generated any leads.
“We’re hoping that if somebody saw something, they would have told us about it, but we haven’t gotten any information about it at all,” Lynch said.
If you have information regarding the tortoises, contact animal control at 203 – 410-7716.
Two public works employees found the tortoises on the damp, cold morning of March 6, while working near the Ansonia — Seymour town line. The older tortoise was about 15 years old, veterinarians estimated, while the younger one was between 10 and 12.
They were sulcata tortoises, a species native to the Sahara Desert and the savannas of the Sahel in Africa. They require hot, arid conditions to survive.
They were brought first to Ansonia Westfield Veterinary Hospital, then to Beardsley Zoo for treatment and to see if a microchip could be recovered. Roslonowski thanked Beardsley in a phone call with The Valley Indy.
“They went above and beyond, Beardsley, to help,” Roslonowski said.
If you need help taking care of your own animals, contact animal control. The Ansonia animal shelter is currently full – but you can also try other local shelters, such as in Woodbridge, Oxford, and Easton (click the links for their animal control pages and contact info).
