KGET (Bakersfield, California) 22 June 05 Abandoned turtles find refuge in Bakersfield

Bakersfield: Kirk Muth’s back yard is a haven for more than 60 turtles and tortoises of all shapes and sizes.

“Any given day I could get a call from the L.A. animal shelter and pick up two or 300 water turtles,” said Muth.

Muth is a member of the Kern County Chapter of the California Turtle and Tortoise Club. The group takes in homeless turtles from across central and southern California.

After that, club members care for and try to find homes for the critters.

“The most enjoyable part is the reward that you're saving animals lives,” said Muth. “You're doing rescue work. They come in abused, the dogs chew on them.”

One tortoise they adopted had a severely wounded leg, and the organization paid to have a vet amputate the leg, saving the tortoise’s life.

“I think they really have to be with the right people,” said Don Williams from the Kern County Turtle and Tortoise Club. “You have to care enough about them to learn how to care for them properly.”

William’s said the animals make great pets, but owners have to be committed.

His personal favorite is the California Desert Tortoise, who is on California’s list of threatened animals.

“I like them because they've been around for 30 million years they've gone through being subtropical to desert to tropical to desert again and they've survived through everything that's gone on and they're struggling their best to survive man's encroachment into its habitat,” said Williams.

Williams said the commitment to turtle and tortoise ownership is so huge because the animals can live upwards of 100 years.
Abandoned turtles find refuge in Bakersfield

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