Critically endangered tortoises stolen from Indianapolis Zoo. Public asked to help find them

A week before the world learned of a jewelry heist in France, the Indianapolis zoo was grappling with a theft of its own: two small tortoises. 

The Indiana State Police have put out a call for information that could help them find the tortoises. 

The two tortoises are both members of a critically endangered species: a Northern Spider Tortoise and an Egyptian Tortoise. According to the state police, the theft occurred sometime between 10 am on October 11th and 10 am on October 12th. 

Captain Ron Galaviz said the state police are asking for anyone who has information to come forward. 

“They're actually really pretty small,” he said. “These are actually probably maybe a little bit bigger than the palm of your hand, about five, six inches.”

Galaviz did not provide details about how the tortoises were stolen, why the Indianapolis Zoo waited to report the theft, or why someone would want to steal endangered tortoises in the first place. 

"Like everything, there's probably a black market for these, for these species somewhere,” he said. “I personally wouldn't know where to begin to look for that.”

Anyone with any information related to this theft is asked to call either the Capitol Police at (317) 234-2131 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-TIPS (8477).

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Indianapolis Zoo said they continue to hope for the tortoise's safe return. 

“We appreciate the community’s support during this time,” said Jake Oakman, senior VP of External Relations. “The Zoo will provide updates when they are available.”

Contact Health Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org.