Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/arizona-police-department-rescues-turtle/

Oro Valley Police Department (OVPD) received a call from a concerned citizen about an animal they spotted in a local dog park. Officer Haskins arrived to assist the baby animal.

OVPD posted photos of the rescue and wrote, “Well, It isn’t a puppy, but still cute. Officer Haskins saved this baby tortoise today. It had found its way into the dog park, and couldn’t find its way out safely.”

The little tortoise was relocated to a safer area to grow and thrive.

People commended the officer for helping the tiny fella and for showing compassion to animals. “Very nice. This made me smile. This officer shows that being a decent human isn’t hard. Good job OVPD,” added one supporter.

The department said, “OVPD loves animals in general, But I think its safe to say, dogs are our favorite.” They are referring to their wellness K9 named Ari.

One person was surprised that someone would call the police about a tortoise in the park. OVPD responded by saying, “The tortoise was in a location that was dangerous for it. We think she made a good choice to call us and make sure the tortoise got moved safely. Not all calls to our department are emergencies, but all of them are important to someone or something.”

Others commented that they thought it was a box turtle and not a desert tortoise. Yet another said that the turtle can grow up to over 100 pounds. OVPD also responded to their comment with, “Well, we hope that he does grow to be that big and enjoys a long wonderful life.”

The one thing everyone can agree on is that Officer Haskins did the right thing.

As Joaquin Phoenix said, “It takes NOTHING away from a human to be kind to an animal.”

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog