Gopher Tortoises

Boyd Hill Nature Preserve is an important habitat for gopher tortoises in southern Pinellas County. Recent deaths and a lack of protections for the species raise concern with the Center for Biological Diversity.

Within 100 years, about 75% of the current gopher tortoise population could disappear. Despite these calculations, the federal agency denied Endangered Species Act protection to the Eastern population of gopher tortoises in the U.S.

The lawsuit comes a dozen years after federal environmental regulators said the tortoises needed added protection to survive.

From coyotes to gopher tortoises and beach mice, many animals make their home on Florida’s barrier islands. Humans helped draw animals to these fragile habitats. Now, we’re squeezing them out.

They say the federal government has previously agreed to added protections for the species, but has since backtracked.

The state considers the burrowing owl a threatened species and Cape Coral is home to about 3,000 — the most of anywhere else in the state.

"There's an implication that the Fish Wildlife Service removed protections for gopher tortoises. They did not. If we wanted to think of the immediate protection level changes for the species, this finding document found no change," said Jeffrey Goessling of Eckerd College.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says increased protections are not warranted for gopher tortoises in Florida and other states, despite issues such as development moving into the animals’ habitats.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is seeking public comment on draft revisions to protections for the gopher tortoise.

While every dog has it's day, so it seems, does the slow-moving, Florida-native tortoise.

The groups say the rule is aimed at preventing isolated populations of the tortoises.

Veterinary researchers at the University of Florida say they have discovered a new pathogen that is fatal for gopher tortoises.