Arizona Game and Fish Department

Desert tortoise

A reward has been increased for information leading to who shot and killed a desert tortoise near Fountain Hills this summer.

The animal was a member of a protected species and part of a long-term research project by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Investigators believe it was killed around Aug. 20 near the Beeline Highway, about 15 miles north of Fountain Hills.

Several groups, including the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter, have pledged $2,650 for an arrest or conviction in the tortoise’s death.