Tortoises stolen from Indianapolis Zoo found nearly 40 miles away

Two tortoises stolen from the Indianapolis Zoo earlier this month were found Tuesday nearly 40 miles northeast from the zoo, in Pendleton.

Visitors at the 284-acre Falls Park in Madison County discovered the tortoises about 4 p.m. They were left in an unattended cardboard box with a note referencing the Indianapolis Zoo, according to Indiana State Police.

The visitors called police, who arrived and took custody of the tortoises.

Both species are critically endangered: a northern spider tortoise and an Egyptian tortoise. The theft occurred between 10 a.m. Oct. 11 and 10 a.m. Oct. 12, police said.

Microchips confirmed they were the tortoises taken from the zoo.

Indiana State Police released few details about the theft earlier this week when asking for the public’s help. The case remains under investigation.

The Indianapolis Zoo declined to comment late Tuesday.

Visitors at the 284-acre Falls Park in South Madison County found the tortoises around 4 p.m. The pair were discovered in an unattended cardboard box with a note referencing the Indianapolis Zoo. 

The park visitors called the police, who quickly arrived to take the tortoises, according to the state police. 

The two tortoises are both members of a critically endangered species: a Northern Spider Tortoise and an Egyptian Tortoise. The theft occurred sometime between 10 a.m. on Oct. 11 and 10 a.m. on Oct. 12, according to state police.

They were positively identified by embedded microchips as the ones taken from the zoo. 

Indiana State Police said little about the theft of tortoises earlier this week when they asked for the public’s help in finding them. The incident is still under investigation. 

Late Tuesday, the Indianapolis Zoo declined to comment.

Contact health reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org