Want a native tortoise for a pet? Adoption is the only legal way

By Lois M. Barron
Seeing a turtle isn’t rare in California, especially in ponds and lakes in city parks. Unfortunately, many are abandoned pets and might be species from anywhere in the world. Only one type, appropriately named the desert tortoise, is native to Southern California. Its home turf is the Mojave Desert.
To be clear, all tortoises are turtles — the way that all greyhounds are dogs, but not all dogs are greyhounds. Tortoises stay on land, while other turtles are equipped