She got the name Destiny because fate brought her to us. We live in the desert of West Texas, a perfect climate for an African desert species but not perfect for a young tortoise alone. What we know about her is this:

In July of 2002 the grandchildren of a rancher in this county found her roaming the countryside in the middle of nowhere. They saw teenaged boys shooting her so they grabbed her away from those boys and took her to their grandfather's ranch. She has three entry and three exit wounds from a .22 caliber rifle.

The grandfather didn't know what she is, he thought she was some sort of large aquatic turtle. He put her in a wheelbarrow half filled with water, which caused a ring of rust to form on her carapace. I have to say OxiClean worked wonders to remove the rust. The rancher, who kept her for a couple of days didn't know what to do with her. Finally he took her to the local pet store and left her there. One of the employees took her home and wanted to keep her but her dogs wouldn't accept a large tortoise in their territory. Then another employee called me to find out if I could keep her for a day or two until a home could be found. The pet store employees didn't know what species she is either but that's not surprising given how badly deformed she is.

She's horribly pyramided which means her original owner didn't know how to feed or care for her. She was found wandering the countryside alone, which means the original owner threw her away. There were never any advertisements in this area looking for a lost sulcata. The owner probably had no idea how large she will be then when she grew, he or she got rid of her. Yes, I'm guessing but sulcata tortoises aren't exactly common or popular pets in this area.

She came here ill with respiratory disease, which obviously is a result of the horrible treatment that's been heaped upon her by humans. She is absolutely pathetic but the decision has been made, she isn't going anywhere else. Our veterinarian treated her for her respiratory illness and her diet has been corrected, hopefully she will recover at her new permanent home, our home. Luckily, we live on an acre and have plenty of room for her to stay.

The irony of poor Destiny's story is, the disfiguring pyramiding saved her life. Radiographs revealed that the bullets went completely through the peaks of the pyramids rather than hitting anything vital. Those bullet holes were filled in with epoxy. She now has her heated "Tortoise Mansion" to live in year round. She loves her mansion and she sure knows who it belongs to.

Destiny has a wonderful disposition but she is a walking advertisement for why people should not get a pet without researching it's needs first.