A giant tortoise caused a huge traffic jam on I-25 in Colorado

The last thing you want to get stuck behind on an interstate is a tortoise… I hear they don’t go very fast. But that was the unfortunate case for travelers in Colorado this weekend.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) posted a video to its X page on Monday morning (July 1) to explain why there was such a large traffic jam on I-25 near Larkspur this weekend. The culprit of the slow-moving traffic was a hard-shelled, four-legged reptile trying to cross Perry Park Avenue.

Giant tortoises are not native to Colorado, in fact they’re from a long way away in the Galapagos Islands, so this is likely a pet… “If you are missing your hard-shelled friend, contact Douglas County Animal Services or the Dumb Friends League Buddy Center,” wrote DCSO on X.

Traffic near the Renaissance Festival came to a crawl this weekend. Our deputies found a Good Samaritan helping a tortoise off Perry Park Avenue. They rescued it and got it to safety. If you are missing your hard-shelled friend, contact Douglas County Animal Services or the Dumb… pic.twitter.com/mia8tzfMcC

— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) July 1, 2024