Escaped tortoise travels 3 miles before being captured

A well-traveled tortoise that escaped from an Arizona ranch was returned home after being found attempting to cross a busy interstate 3 miles from home.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety said on social media that troopers responded to a report of “a large tortoise” slowly making its way across eastbound Interstate 10, in the Picacho Peak area.

“Troopers recognized the label on Stitch’s shell and contacted Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch, located roughly three miles away from where he was found,” the post said.

Danna Cogburn, the ranch’s owner, said the tortoise enclosure was damaged during storms earlier in the week and the animals made their way out into a fenced-in yard.

“Stitch, however, found the one small hole, and he was the only one small enough to fit through it,” Cogburn told KSAZ-TV.

Deputies gave Stitch a ride home to the ranch.

“I was surprised he had gone as far as he did,” Cogburn said.