WHITEWATER, Calif. (AP) — The California Highway Patrol says a tortoise weighing an estimated 150 pounds was killed as it tried to cross a Southern California freeway.
The Desert Sun reports that the tortoise was trying to cross Interstate 10 eastbound, near the Whitewater exit in Riverside County.
It was struck by a vehicle and killed around 3:30 p.m. Sunday, soon after the CHP received reports it was on the roadway.
While coyotes and even a bear have been spotted trying to cross the freeway, Riverside County Department of Animal Services spokesman John Welsh says he can’t recall receiving a call about a tortoise.
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