Everything in a name

Josecíto is Spanish for little Joseph

Why Spanish? Welcome to the Mojave Desert, located in Southern California and parts of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, spanning roughly 47,000 square miles. When you’re right next to the Mexican border – and an area that was part of Mexico originally – names of streets and neighborhoods and animals end up being in the native language: Spanish!

Why Joseph? Some people carry the name of the season they were born in, the name of someone that lived before them, or even fruit and Avengers characters…? Josecíto on the other hand, takes his name from the holiday in which he arrived, rocking into Nathaniel and William’s backyard on Good Friday, it just seemed appropriate that his name be related to the season.

Of course, just like him, his name is perfect. Most wild tortoises don’t travel more than a few miles from where they were born. While Josecíto was someone’s pet before he became a mascot for an entire species, he was more than likely born in the Mojave Desert. And being within 120 miles of the US-Mexico border, there is no guessing. Of course he speaks Spanish.