Help save gopher tortoises from bulldozers!
March 18th, 2007 by admin
It would be a criminal act, likely a felony in Florida, if someone intentionally buried or crushed an animal to death. But that is exactly what is happening- and has happened thousands of times- to the gopher tortoise in Florida.
Jennifer Hobgood, a program coordinator for the Humane Society of the United States, explained the sad reality for gopher tortoises in an excellent editorial that appeared in Florida newspapers this week: “For the past 16 years, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has allowed developers to crush gopher tortoises under bulldozers and bury them alive under subdivisions and strip malls. Once buried, it can take months for tortoises to die. Appallingly, with most Floridians unaware, the state has authorized the killing of more than 80,000 tortoises that lived on the same land coveted by developers.”
Because the gopher tortoise is threatened with extinction, and due to public outrage at the unecessary killing, the wildlife commission is developing a new “management plan” that may reduce the number of tortoises that die at construction sites. The FWC is encouraging citizens to take a look at its draft management plan for gopher tortoises. We know you care about the future of these threatened animals. Now is your chance to tell the FWC!
The FWC is accepting comments until April 4. You can download the draft plan here: http://myfwc.com/imperiledspecies/petitions.htm (get a cup of coffee; it’s 121 pages!).
Unfortunately, even if the plan is adopted, it will not take effect for many months. Please contact the commission today and urge them to place an immediate moratorium on issuing “incidental-take permits” (granted to developers to kill gopher tortoises) until the plan can be finalized.
Contact:
E-mail: gt_plan@myFWC.com
Mailing address:
Gopher Tortoise Management Plan
620 South Meridian Street, Mail Station 2A
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1600