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The Gopher tortoise is a threatened species native to the southeastern US, and The Center for Biological Diversity is suing the US Fish and Wildlife Service for denying the animal Endangered Species Act protections.
The gopher tortoise digs deep burrows for shelter.
Gopher tortoises share their burrows with more than 350 other species, and are therefore referred to as a keystone species by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
However, Elise Bennett with the Center for Biological Diversity says the tortoise is facing threats.
“We have new roads being built every day, new developments in places that were once wild, and what that means in most places and particularly here in Florida is that these gopher tortoises are ousted from their habitats,”
She fears what would happen if more protections aren’t put in place.
“It really could be this cascading effect across our upland systems and so we really feel like protecting the tortoise when we know it’s in danger of extinction now could really help save not only the tortoise but these entire systems that are critical to the health of the southeast.”
She encourages concerned listeners to contact the US Fish and Wildlife Service and ask them for Endangered Species Act protections for the tortoise.
Wildlands Conservation is an environmental nonprofit organization in Tampa. They created a specialty license plate with a picture of the tortoise. Funds go towards saving the tortoise.
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