Desert Dabbler

My friend adopted a Desert Tortoise earlier this Spring.  A teenage male that she named Spock.   This is his picture on the day she brought him home.  

A lot of care and thought had gone into his adoption.  She had attended classes, submitted plans of his enclosure, and did other things that are required in order to get approved to  adopt this threatened species.   All summer she has diligently cared for him -- planted a variety of his favorite plants and hand-selected the best Yellow Bell blossoms, strawberry tops, and apple slices for him. 

But yesterday morning, the little guy went missing.  He was there the night before, but was gone when she went out at 6 AM.    So far we don´t know if he managed to escape his enclosure or whether he was taken.    Desert Tortoises fall victim to predators, such as coyotes, but he seemed too large for a coyote to carry off.   It seems unlikely that someone would steal him, but that is a possibility.  

So in the morning we are going to walk around her neighborhood and look for him.  For any of you who have had a pet, you know how they become part of your family.   She misses him terribly, and is worried about his safety.   ´

All we can do is look for him, and hope for a happy ending.