INDIANAPOLIS — Officials from the Indianapolis Zoo have confirmed the two tortoises that were reported stolen earlier this month have been found.
The Indiana State Police, who were leading the investigation into the missing tortoises, said the tortoises were found safe and uninjured Tuesday afternoon in Falls Park, which is located in the Madison County city of Pendleton.
According to the Pendleton Police Department, the office received a call around 4 p.m. from a park visitor who came across an unattended cardboard box behind the park's museum near the falls. Officials said the box reportedly had a paper plate with a note referencing the Indianapolis Zoo. The visitors found the tortoises inside the box.
Zoo personnel confirmed these were the missing tortoises by scanning their microchips.
This incident remains under investigation.
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Indiana State Police are asking for the public's help in finding two critically endangered tortoises stolen from the Indianapolis Zoo earlier this month.
The theft occurred sometime between 10 a.m. on October 11 and 10 a.m. on October 12, according to investigators with the Capitol Police Section of the Indiana State Police.
Both stolen species are listed as critically endangered: an Egyptian tortoise and a Northern Spider tortoise. Both animals are microchipped for identification purposes, and the Egyptian tortoise has a prominent scar on its underside.
Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact the Capitol Police at (317) 234-2131 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-TIPS (8477).
Police say no additional information is currently available for release as the investigation continues.
