Miley Cyrus adopts 20-year-old tortoise through West LA rescue group

Pop star Miley Cyrus has adopted a 20-year-old African spurred tortoise named Teru through Wags and Walks, a West Los Angeles-based animal rescue organization that coordinated the placement after learning of her interest, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The adoption drew renewed attention to shelter overcrowding across Southern California, a regional crisis that advocates say now affects animals of all species — well beyond the dogs and cats that typically draw public focus.

Wags and Walks said it moved quickly once word spread that Cyrus was looking to adopt a tortoise, tapping its network to identify Teru, who had been staying at a local shelter before the rescue arranged the match.

"When we heard that @mileycyrus was hoping to adopt a tortoise, we knew we had to help make the connection happen. After a little coordination, the stars aligned, and Teru officially found his forever home with Miley," Wags and Walks said in an Instagram post, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Teru, an African spurred tortoise, was 20 years old at the time of adoption — a species known for its long lifespan that can make placement particularly challenging for shelters unequipped to house reptiles long-term.

Beyond the celebrity angle, Wags and Walks used the adoption to underscore what it described as an escalating crisis in regional shelters. "As unexpected as this rescue was, it's also a reminder of the reality shelters are facing right now. Animals of all kinds are ending up in overcrowded systems, and more pets than ever are in need of safe places to go," the group said in the same post.

Wags and Walks is a West Los Angeles-based rescue organization that works to connect animals in local shelters with permanent homes, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Teru's adoption comes as Southern California shelters contend with what rescue advocates describe as record intake numbers, with the Wags and Walks case offering a rare instance of a celebrity profile amplifying an otherwise quiet animal welfare message.