The latest shipment to make its way into a North Texas FedEx had a life of its own-or, actually, nearly 200 of them.
Earlier this week, a local FedEx office near Denton intercepted an attempted shipment of nearly 200 tortoises and turtles. The office contacted the City of Denton Animal Shelter, which responded to the incident immediately.
"Business not as usual," the animal shelter posted Thursday to Facebook. "A local FedEx office contacted us after discovering an attempted shipment of 191 turtles."
Officials at the shelter said they notified local representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a federal agency dedicated to conservation and the protection of endangered and threatened animals and plants.
"We responded immediately and took the animals, an assortment of both turtles and tortoises, into custody," wrote shelter officials. "We set them up in one of our offices, ensured they received proper care, and notified our local Fish and Wildlife representatives, who opened an investigation."
The turtles were then transported to the Dallas Zoo, where officials say they are now safely housed.
"This unusual rescue is just one example of how our animal services team supports the community," read the post from shelter officials. "We're grateful for the strong partnerships with our animal welfare colleagues, who help us coordinate responses in unique situations like this."
Although unusual, it isn't the first time a wildlife shipment has been intercepted in the Lone Star State.
In October 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted more than 160 exotic reptiles and arthropods concealed in a vehicle near the Anzaldúas International Bridge west of Brownsville in South Texas. In 2021, a Mexican citizen was sentenced after admitting to smuggling protected reptiles from Mexico into the United States and shipping them to buyers through FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Other wildlife-smuggling cases have made headlines in Texas in recent years, involving monkeys, parrots, pythons and other exotic animals.
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This article originally published at The tortoises and the care (package): What shocked a Texas FedEx.