In Loving Memory of Della the Tortoise

Warbler’s Wisdom is a weekly column by Jocelyn Hartley, our Creation and Justice Fellow from Disciples Home Mission and Green Chalice.

On June 27, 2023, three days after my brother’s wedding, my family had the unexpected pleasure of welcoming three more members to our number. But unlike my very human sister-in-law, these new members were Sonoran Desert tortoises. 

We named our adult tortoise, Willow, after her favorite snack–the flower of a Desert Willow tree. The two juvenile tortoises we called Della and Cruz, after Cincinnati Reds’ baseball player Elly de la Cruz (de la Cruz is astonishingly fast, and we were surprised by how fast the little tortoises could get around when there was shade to be found). 

Over the past two years, we’ve enjoyed watching the little ones’ personalities develop. Cruz is becoming quite a gregarious fellow, frequently making appearances on the patio and even coming from his burrow when called. Della, on the other hand, turned out to have a decidedly independent streak. She was so good at hiding herself away that we would often scour the yard for days and not be able to find her. And instead of staying in her cushy, human made burrow, she decided to dig her own under a bench in the back of our yard. 

This summer, with temperatures soaring and rain so far scarce, the tortoises have been making fewer appearances out of their burrows. Cruz will occasionally be spotted cruising the yard for snacks, but Della and Willow pretty much stay hidden away, their location unknown to us. So my mom was thrilled on Thursday when she caught sight of Della. But her joy turned to sickness as she realized that what she saw was not Della, but only Della’s shell, cracked open and emptied by a predator. Our rebellious, independent little girl is no more.

Della’s empty shell was a sickening image of the toll hidden in terms like “endangered” and “habitat loss”. Behind these words are an empty shell where a rebellious little tortoise once lived, silence where songbirds once sang, and a barren crater where a mountain once stood, teeming with plant and animal life. 

So today, I’m inviting you to reflect on all the life out there in our desert. Some of it you may have come to know and love, like my family has come to know and love Desert tortoises. But most of the life out there is unknown to us, taking flight or crawling into a burrow at the first sight or smell or sound of humans. And that can make these lives easy to overlook unless chance brings them into our hearts, as it brought the tortoises into mine. So today, let’s just pause to imagine and appreciate all the vulnerable, precious wild-lives that haven’t yet intersected with our own. And let’s say an extra prayer for all the Desert tortoises trying to make a life out there on their own amidst habitat loss, intense predation, rising temperatures, and lessening food sources. 

*Desert tortoises are a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Their populations have been declining largely due to habitat loss as humans continue to colonize the desert Southwest. Learn more here.*

**You can help protect wild tortoise populations by adopting a captive Sonoran Desert tortoise. Captive tortoises cannot be released into the wild because they can spread diseases that will devastate wild populations. Arizona Fish and Wildlife does not have the ability to take care of all the captive tortoises they receive. They are an easy and delightful addition to the family.**

***If you find an injured animal, please call Tucson Wildlife Center. They are a fantastic non-profit that provides emergency medical care and rehabilitation for wild animals before releasing them back into the wild. They will be able to counsel you on whether you can bring the animal in for treatment or whether they can come pick up the animal.***