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Growth and the gopher tortoise

They are slow, so homely they're cute and their hygiene leaves something to be desired. Yet Florida's gopher tortoises are developing a national following. Credit the Lake Park Five, who gave their lives for the cause.

It must have seemed like an insignificant obstacle: five burrows on land Wal-Mart intended for a new store in Lake Park. The retail giant could have relocated the tortoises, which are a "species of special concern" and therefore protected (somewhat) by the state. Instead, Wal-Mart chose to pay $11,409 for a state permit to entomb the tortoises under the store's foundation, benignly dubbed an "incidental taking."

Wal-Mart is no stranger to controversy, but it probably didn't anticipate such a backlash to the deaths of five lethargic burrow-dwellers. The Humane Society of the United States took up the cause, bringing nationwide denunciation of the corporation's decision to condemn the tortoises to a slow death by starvation or asphyxiation. Now the company promises to "do a better job" of looking for an alternative the next time.

Wal-Mart isn't the only villain. In the past 14 years, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has approved the destruction of 74,000 gopher tortoises to make way for development. The commission has also allowed more than 50,000 of them to be moved elsewhere.

Relocation sounds like the more humane choice, and it should be. But just digging up a burrow and releasing the tortoise elsewhere falls far short of ensuring its survival. Given their slow-motion lifestyle, it is difficult for tortoises to find a mate or food, escape traffic or adapt to change. They need dry sandy soil (also a favorite of developers) and because they commonly suffer from respiratory disease, their introduction into a different tortoise colony could further endanger the species.

Gopher tortoises are found only in the Southeast corner of the country, with Florida being their largest range. Not only are they fascinating creatures, but their burrows are used by other species, including owls and armadillos. Most importantly, they are a unique part of natural Florida, which is in danger of disappearing.

Development isn't going to stop, so the state needs to do a better job of protecting gopher tortoises. It has used the permit money to create nine protected habitats, but more energy should go into relocation. The Humane Society of the United States recommends post-release monitoring of gopher tortoises, which isn't currently required. That way, the state would know which techniques and locations work. Also, "soft releases" should be mandatory, meaning that rather than leaving tortoises to fend for themselves, they should be kept in a confined area and fed until they adapt to their new surroundings.

Those requirements aren't too much to ask of Wal-Mart and other developers. At least the conservation commission seems to have gotten the message. It has assembled a group made up of individuals and organizations interested in the issue. Together, the group and the commission should develop new guidelines to better protect the species.

Florida shouldn't wait for another Lake Park Five to shame the state into action.

[Last modified December 30, 2005, 20:41:02]