One of the tortoises found Thursday morning.
ANSONIA – Two tortoises were found abandoned near Beaver Street Thursday morning (March 6).
The tortoises had frozen by the time they were found, according to Animal Control Officer Jeanne Roslonowski. She took them to Ansonia Westfield Veterinary Hospital, and then to Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, to see if they could be revived.
One of the two tortoises – about 15 years old – was pronounced dead at the vet’s office. The younger one, between 10 and 12 years old, remains in an incubator to see if it can be warmed back to life.
The older tortoise had been “definitely deceased for a while,” Roslonowski said. The animals are believed to have been abandoned within the last week.
Public works employees Michael Marino and Wilby Martin found the tortoise while working early in the morning near the Ansonia – Seymour town line, according to a City of Ansonia Facebook post. They called Roslonowski for assistance.
Roslonowski said the two tortoises 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.
The weather in Ansonia has been neither of those things. It was damp and foggy when the tortoises were found, and there was a cold rain the night before.
If you have a pet that you can’t take care of anymore, Roslonowski said your first step should always be to contact local animal shelters and rescues.
“Some people just need help. A lot of the time, they’re doing the wrong thing, but for the right reasons,” she said.
She said that the Ansonia shelter is currently full – but that she still has ways to help pet-owners who need it.
“If someone had called me about those, I would have taken their information. I would have made phone calls to see who can, and who does help tortoises,” she said.
She also recommended reaching out to animal shelters in Woodbridge, Oxford, and Easton (click the links for their animal control pages and contact info).
Roslonowski said she’s seen an uptick in cases of abandoned animals. She said it’s because caring for animals has gotten more expensive in recent years – and medicine in particular.
Vet bill costs increased by about 6 percent between 2024 and 2025, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
If you have information regarding the tortoises – which is now being investigated as a case of animal cruelty – or if you need help taking care of your own animals, contact animal control by calling 203 – 410-7716.
