Two tortoises taken from the Indianapolis Zoo have been found and were unharmed, Indiana State Police said.
The Egyptian and Northern Spider tortoises were taken from the zoo between Oct. 11-12 during operating hours, police previously said.
On Oct. 28, officials said the critically endangered tortoises were found in Falls Park, which is located in Pendleton, roughly a 50-minute drive northeast of Indianapolis.
The Pendleton Police Department received a call about 4 p.m. Oct. 28 after a Falls Park visitor walking on a sidewalk behind the park’s museum found a cardboard box, state police said.
The visitor opened the unattended box near the park’s falls and found the turtles.
“The box was said to have had a paper plate on top with a note referencing the Indianapolis Zoo,” Indiana State Police said. Zoo personnel confirmed the tortoises were the ones stolen by scanning their microchips, police said. The case remains under investigation. Police have not said how the tortoises were taken from the zoo.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Stolen zoo tortoises found dumped in park an hour from Indianapolis
Reporting by Jen Guadarrama, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
