Two Riverside County Animal Services officers used fresh cherries to lure a sulcata tortoise weighing about 140 pounds out from underneath a van where it was found by a Temecula Wine Country resident, according to a news release.

The resident had been looking for a snake and instead, he discovered the tortoise on his Balsamina Court property and reported it to animal services about 3:30 p.m Wednesday, July 12.

Officer Kyle Stephens responded to the call and Officer Harvey Beck offered to help out. It was Beck’s cherries, which he carries as a snack, that coaxed the tortoise out from under the vehicle so the two officers could lift it.

The tortoise was taken to the county’s San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus in San Jacinto, where employees await contact from the rightful owner of the wandering pet.

Sulcatas, a species native to Africa, are the largest mainland tortoise. Adults can weigh 90 to 200 pounds, depending on sex, according to the San Diego Zoo.

They are popular pets but grow so large that their owners may find them unmanageable, according to the San Diego Zoo website. “They are curious, intelligent animals with lively personalities, especially when young.”