Threats

Some of the many threats gopher tortoises face are habitat loss, disease, and predators. One of the major reasons for the habitat loss gopher tortoises have dealt with is development on the lands they prefer to live in. Back in the days before protection laws came into play, these tortoises were regularly buried alive by builders during construction. The FWC used to issue incidental take permits (ITP) that allowed developers to kill gopher tortoises on their properties.

The burial of the tortoises would result in a long and painful death for them since they are unable to dig themselves out but can survive for weeks under the ground, says Rick O’Connor, the Sea Grant Extension Agent for Escambia County. The claustrophobic image of tortoises suffocating to death caused much deserved outrage among the public. A notable example is when Walmart came under fire in 2006 after they legally destroyed dozens of gopher tortoise burrows, burying many in the process when they built a new supercenter in Palm Beach County.

This prompted the implementation of the 2007 protection law that required any tortoises on land that was being developed to be relocated elsewhere.

Another threat can come in the form of injuries that aren’t related to development. Examples of this are tortoises missing limbs from animal attacks or cracked shells from being hit by cars. This is a very common threat, as the numbers of tortoises hit by cars is higher than other incidents such as dog or other animal attacks, and human encounters such as painting on their shells.

Upper respiratory tract disease is also another threat gopher tortoises commonly face. In a 2021 paper by University of Florida veterinary student Tasha Desiderio, a new bacteria causing fatal upper respiratory tract disease was discovered and analyzed in three wild gopher tortoises that were treated at the University of Florida’s Animal Hospital between 2012 and 2019.

Gopher tortoises at the Santa Fe Zoo with a cracked shell and a missing leg

The Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo in Gainesville helps rehabilitate these injured tortoises so they can be released, says conservation educator and zookeeper Katie Long. If a tortoise is deemed unreleasable, it lives the rest of its life out safely in the zoo as an educational animal.

All of the tortoises quickly became very sick once showing signs of the disease, unlike previously known causes of upper respiratory disease in tortoises. Sadly, treatment attempts failed and two of the tortoises died, while the last had to be euthanized.

Jim Wellehan, associate professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, says that they are still working to conduct research on the bacteria, including how contagious it is, how it’s transmitted and possible cures.

One reason these factors are so dangerous to gopher tortoises is that they aren’t able to sustain their population easily. Gopher tortoises reach maturity later in life and many of the hatchlings don’t survive to maturity because of predation from other animals. Bennett grimly calls baby gopher tortoises “popcorn” because other animals love to eat them so much.

The combination of this and the large population minimum of 250 adult tortoises that is needed to sustain a viable population, means that many populations aren’t able to sustain themselves.

Conservation educator and zookeeper Katie Long