BRADENTON, Fla. — A tiny gopher tortoise was rescued Tuesday by an officer with the Bradenton Police Department after being found looking a bit out of place.
A Facebook post from the agency explains the tortoise was found taking cover at the police department's Community Oriented Policing House.
"The wee one seemed a bit shell-shocked and a tad out of place," police explained in the post.
After what the agency calls a "slow-speed pursuit," two officers were able to grab the reptile and take it into custody – without incident, of course. The tortoise was then taken over to Wildlife, Inc. for a welfare check.
"Also, because it's Tuesday, the officers decided the tortoise should be named - wait for it - Taco," the post read in part. "Take care, Taco!"
According to the police department, Taco apparently "had been chewed a little," but the wildlife rescue service is getting him in tip-top shape.
The handling and relocation of gopher tortoises in Florida is actually illegal unless it's done under a valid permit issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
"If you see a tortoise crossing a busy road, FWC grants permission to move the gopher tortoise across the road in the same direction it was headed if it is safe for you to do so," the agency explains online. "Do not move the tortoise to another location or put the tortoise in a car as this constitutes illegal possession.
"In addition, most activities associated with residential lawn and landscape maintenance do not require a permit provided they do not collapse gopher tortoise burrows or harm tortoises."
Click here to read more on FWC's site.