“what is a private family doing owning an endangered animal?
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Given the animal’s age, he may have been acquired by the family before being put on the endangered species list.
I used to have a desert tortoise when I was a kid. I named it Herman. One of my relatives, who lived out in the desert, found it and gave it to me. It lived out in our back yard. On Saturdays when it was time to mow the lawn, I had to go out there and find it, and bring it to safety so it wouldn’t get mowed over.