Injury:  None – found wandering on a Minocqua resident’s driveway 

Tatiana was found in a bewildered local resident’s driveway.  The woman was pretty sure she had never seen a turtle like this before in WI so she brought it to the center.  The staff was also amazed to see this little turtle.  We all agreed that this was not a native species and asked the woman if she would leave it with us until we decided what it was.  With a little research and the help of a UW-Stevens Point professor we identified our little turtle not as a turtle, but as a tortoise a Russian Tortoise to be exact.  Since these tortoises are fairly common as pets it is assumed that she either escaped or more likely was released by someone who just didn’t want her anymore.  Tatiana came to live at the center in the summer of 2002.  

Currently we are in the process of building a new and bigger enclosure for Tatiana. Above the enclosure we will have a display about the dos and the don’ts when buying and owning a turtle and other considerations that should to be made.  With the telling of Tatiana story we hope to educate the public and make them understand that just because it is a turtle doesn’t mean it can be released into the wild.