Express & Star

Tortoise picked up by California Highway Patrol

The animal was returned to its owners a couple of hours later.

Published
Officers pick up a tortoise

A 250-pound tortoise was rescued by police after being spotted by the side of the road.

The animal was picked up – literally – by California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers in Santa Ynez after being spotted by a member of the public.

Pictures posted by the force show the tortoise being put into the back of a police car by officers.

The tortoise was taken in by animal rescue while CHP worked to locate its owners – who were reunited with their pet a couple of hours later.

A tortoise being put into a police car
Officers managed to manoeuvre the tortoise into the back of their car (California Highway Patrol)

The story went down well on Facebook where social media users enjoyed the sight of the tortoise in the back of a police car.

One joked: “Hope he wasn’t cited for speeding.”

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.