The letter has a number you can call if you want to help by taking in a tortoise that might otherwise be euthanized. Contact the DTCC directly at 702-338-0104 and volunteer to take one.
San Diego Zoo: No euthanasia of threatened tortoises, despite AP report
Frank Lacey, The examiner, August 26, 2013
The
private agency that manages a Nevada facility dedicated to conservation
of the threatened desert tortoise has denied an Associated Press report
that hundreds of the animals that are housed there may be euthanized in
coming months as a result of reduced financial support from the federal
government.
According to the AP report, which was published Sunday, the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center will be closed and the individual desert tortoises in its care will be killed.
The San Diego Zoo, which is the principal manager of the DTCC, denies that either of those outcomes is in the cards.
"Although we understand that, at any point, it's possible to lose federal funds, we manage the center and we don't have plans to do those things," Christine Simmons, a zoo spokesperson, said. "We remain committed to working with the desert tortoise."
Simmons explained that some tortoises - for example, those who are suffering from such severe medical problems that they cannot be rehabilitated or released back into the wild - may need to be euthanized.
"That's a small percentage of the overall population" served by DTCC, she said.
Gopherus agassizii are native to the deserts of western Arizona, eastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. The reptile, which can grow to more than a foot in length, was added to the federal list of threatened and endangered species in 1990.
The desert tortoise is a member of a family of animals that has survived since the time of the dinosaurs. However, its desert habitat has been increasingly lost to development, especially in the Las Vegas valley. According to a website maintained by Conservation Centers for Species Survival, 90 percent of individuals in the species have been lost in the last three decades.
Only about 150,000 individuals of the species remain in the wild, according to the San Diego Zoo.
The DTCC is partially financed by funds provided by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which manages a large proportion of the public land within the desert tortoise's range.
BLM is allocating less money to the DTCC because it is receiving fewer dollars from habitat mitigation fees paid by developers under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.
"The funds go up and down, depending on what’s happening with the economy," agency spokesperson Erica Haspiel-Szlosek said. She explained that housing development in the Las Vegas valley, a principal source of the money that flows into the habitat mitigation fund, has taken a hit during the recent recession.
Haspiel-Szlosek said that BLM wants, in any event, to stop caring for "former pet tortoises" and would cease support for the DTCC when the available section 7 funds run out sometime in 2014.
"Although we’ve been in that position for awhile, we don’t feel that’s part of what we do," she said.
About one thousand individuals are brought to the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center each year, according to the CCSS website.
According to the AP report, which was published Sunday, the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center will be closed and the individual desert tortoises in its care will be killed.
The San Diego Zoo, which is the principal manager of the DTCC, denies that either of those outcomes is in the cards.
"Although we understand that, at any point, it's possible to lose federal funds, we manage the center and we don't have plans to do those things," Christine Simmons, a zoo spokesperson, said. "We remain committed to working with the desert tortoise."
Simmons explained that some tortoises - for example, those who are suffering from such severe medical problems that they cannot be rehabilitated or released back into the wild - may need to be euthanized.
"That's a small percentage of the overall population" served by DTCC, she said.
Gopherus agassizii are native to the deserts of western Arizona, eastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. The reptile, which can grow to more than a foot in length, was added to the federal list of threatened and endangered species in 1990.
The desert tortoise is a member of a family of animals that has survived since the time of the dinosaurs. However, its desert habitat has been increasingly lost to development, especially in the Las Vegas valley. According to a website maintained by Conservation Centers for Species Survival, 90 percent of individuals in the species have been lost in the last three decades.
Only about 150,000 individuals of the species remain in the wild, according to the San Diego Zoo.
The DTCC is partially financed by funds provided by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which manages a large proportion of the public land within the desert tortoise's range.
BLM is allocating less money to the DTCC because it is receiving fewer dollars from habitat mitigation fees paid by developers under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.
"The funds go up and down, depending on what’s happening with the economy," agency spokesperson Erica Haspiel-Szlosek said. She explained that housing development in the Las Vegas valley, a principal source of the money that flows into the habitat mitigation fund, has taken a hit during the recent recession.
Haspiel-Szlosek said that BLM wants, in any event, to stop caring for "former pet tortoises" and would cease support for the DTCC when the available section 7 funds run out sometime in 2014.
"Although we’ve been in that position for awhile, we don’t feel that’s part of what we do," she said.
About one thousand individuals are brought to the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center each year, according to the CCSS website.
Statement Regarding Media Reports on Status of Desert Tortoise at the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center in Nevada
Aug 26, 2013
Statement Regarding Media Reports on Status of Desert Tortoise at the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center in Nevada
Recent media reports regarding the status of desert tortoises at the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center (DTCC) have implied that the FWS is currently euthanizing desert tortoises at the facility. We want the public to know that the FWS is not euthanizing healthy tortoises.
The DTCC was established in 1990 to receive wild tortoises in harm’s way from development and has taken in unwanted pets since 1996. Over 1,000 tortoises arrived at the DTCC each year, and approximately 98 percent of those are surrendered or stray pets. Science-based protocols developed for desert tortoises brought to the DTCC have been instrumental in helping the FWS maintain a healthy population of desert tortoise in the wild. Managing to recover desert tortoise, a threatened species, is a complex task in which all options need to be considered, and all risks and benefits to the species must be assessed.
Many pet tortoises, unfortunately, are diseased or otherwise in poor health, and run the risk of spreading disease to wild tortoises. These tortoises cannot be relocated to the wild, or otherwise contribute to recovery of the desert tortoise population. Sometimes euthanasia of unhealthy pet tortoises is necessary, but only as last resort, and only after we evaluate other options. All healthy tortoises at the DTCC will be relocated to sites that will support the recovery of the species.
Progress is being made on translocating the healthy DTCC tortoise population to the wild. A Programmatic Environmental Assessment is complete, and tortoises are already being translocated by the FWS to an approved site in Trout Canyon, Nevada. Public scoping for a second translocation plan was completed Aug 22, 2013, for a proposed translocation area south of Coyote Springs, Nevada.
The Animal Foundation (TAF), Lied Animal Shelter continues to take in unwanted pet tortoises from the public. However, the fact remains that the DTCC does not currently have the capacity or the funding to accept and care for additional tortoises.
Recovery of the desert tortoise in the wild continues to be our top priority. However we are deeply concerned about the growing number of unwanted pets, and will continue to work with our partner agencies toward finding a suitable solution for tortoises that cannot be returned to the wild.
FWS
Hello Merritt Clifton,We had grave concerns about the desert tortoise when we saw a similar article. So we talked to USFWS and they clarified that they are NOT euthanizing any healthy desert tortoises, just unhealthy ones that due to their health status would be a threat to the recovery of the population if released in the wild. Most if not all of these tortoises are people's pets that were turned into the DTCC when they could no longer care for them. Unfortunately, despite great effort, the FWS/San Diego Zoo (they jointly run the DTCC) can not seem to find enough good homes for these diseased desert tortoises.Please see the FWS PR at http://www.fws.gov/cno/press/release.cfm?rid=526We knew the $$ was running out for the DTCC and FWS has been releasing "healthy" tortoises into the wild, which we are keeping a close eye on.If you can help find good homes for any of the "diseased" desert tortoise, I know FWS/San Diego Zoo would be very grateful. Tortoises make great pets (not too big, not too small, although they are long lived 80-100 years in captivity). Their diseases do not affect humans, just other tortoise and turtles, so they should be kept separated from other chelonians.I hope this helps to clarify the situation. You can contact the DTCC directly at 702-338-0104.Best regards,IleeneIleene AndersonBiologist/Wildlands Desert DirectorCenter for Biological Diversity323-654-5943 (W)323-490-0223 (C)
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