Instead of adopting a baby rabbit or chick, give back to nature

Instead of giving a baby rabbit, duck, or chick this Easter, consider adopting or sponsoring a desert tortoise or buying other wildlife-friendly gifts.

PHOENIX -  Every Easter, many parents adopt a baby rabbit, chick, or duck for their children, only to find the animals aren't the ideal family pet. Instead of adding to the number of these animals that wind up in shelters each year, the Arizona Game and Fish Department is suggesting some wonderful, wildlife-friendly and family-friendly ideas for this Easter.

"Easter is a time for parents and children to get together and celebrate life and nature," says Sandy Cate, coordinator at the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Wildlife Center, "and there are many ways to celebrate without putting chicks and rabbits in homes that might not be appropriate. Another problem involves families placing unwanted baby ducks, ill equipped to live in the wild, into random ponds in Arizona."

Among the other Easter gift ideas to consider are adopting or sponsoring a desert tortoise. These tortoises are recognized as a threatened species in parts of California, Nevada, Utah, and northwestern Arizona. The tortoises can live longer than most people, up to 100 years! They are legal to have at your home, if you go through an application process with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

"If you want to adopt an animal for Easter, a desert tortoise might be the right way to go," says Cate. "We have a careful process in place to make sure that all families who adopt one are really ready to handle one, including having a suitable burrow."

You can also sponsor a tortoise in the name of a friend or loved one to help pay for desert tortoise research. This will help biologists ensure these creatures' survival for generations to come.

"We'll send each person who donates to the department's Sponsor-a-Tortoise Program a color photo of their 'adopted' tortoise," says Clayton Lutz, an Arizona Game and Fish Department biologist. "If someone donates $50 or more, he or she will receive a tortoise project summary at the end of the year. Contributors of more than $100 will receive a profile of their sponsored tortoise for that year."

Call Clayton Lutz at (623) 236-7504, if you are interested in sponsoring a tortoise. Donors should be aware that sponsorship information will probably not arrive until after Easter.

If your family wants to enjoy animals and nature together, you can buy some relatively inexpensive gifts to use in the outdoors. For example, you can purchase seeds to plant a native shrub or tree in your backyard together. You can purchase a pair of binoculars and a basic field guide for bird watching, such as "Birds of Arizona Field Guide" by Stan Tekiela or "Bird Nests and Eggs" by Pinau Merlin, which are suitable for teens and adults. Other wildlife-friendly books for kids include "Look Who Lives in the Desert!" from the people at "Arizona Highways" and "Correctamundo! Prickly Pete's Guide to Desert Facts and Cactifracts" from author David Lazaroff and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

Your family can also enjoy some time in the outdoors fishing. Our recent rain has raised lake levels high, creating great fishing conditions. A general fishing license good for the whole year costs just $18. If you want to fish in Urban Fishing Program lakes in the metro Phoenix or Tucson areas, an urban fishing license is just $16. You can buy a license at any Arizona Game and Fish Department office, many sporting goods stores, Wal-Marts, and online at azgfd.gov.