Nature’s Best Friend – The Gopher Tortoise

ENVIRONMENT. >> YOU CAN VISIT OUR WEBSITE WGCU DOT ORG. FROM A LIFESTYLE IN THE FAST LANE TO ONE THAT MOVES AT A MUCH SLOWER PACE. GOPHER TORTOISES ARE TAKING UP RESIDENCE IN URBAN AREAS OF CAPE CORAL. THE FLORIDA WILDLIFE FEDERATION ESTIMATES AT LEAST 700,000 GOPHER TORTOISES LIVE IN FLORIDA. THEY ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR BURROWS, WHICH ALSO SERVED AS A REFUGE FOR OTHER SPECIES IN THE ECOSYSTEM AS WGCUS KATE. CONAN REPORTS IN CAPE CORAL. THEY ARE THRIVING AS URBAN DWELLERS AND MAKING A NAME FOR THEMSELVES. >> THIS IS AN ANOMALY. I MEAN. YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO A THREATENED SPECIES LIVING THIS CLOSE TOGETHER IN A HEAVY URBANIZED AREA. I MEAN, THAT'S UNIQUE IN ITSELF. >> WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT FLORIDA WILDLIFE GOPHER, TORTOISE MAY BE AT THE TOP OF YOUR LIST AND FOR GOOD REASON. THIS KEYSTONE SPECIES PROVIDES HOMES FOR A WIDE RANGE OF ANIMALS. ACCORDING TO CHARLES ANDERSON, PRESIDENT OF THE CAPE CORAL WILDLIFE TRUST 350 SPECIES. USE GOPHER TORTOISE HOLES, BUNNIES, SNAKES. >> SKUNKS, ALL KINDS OF ANIMALS USED GOPHER. TORTOISE HOLES, GOPHER TORTOISE BURROWS. MAKE GREAT SPOTS TO NAST, TAKE SHELTER OR STORE FOOD IN. BUT ONE FLORIDA FAVORITE SPECIES, ESPECIALLY RELIES ON THIS REPTILE ROOMMATE. THE BURROWING OWL. WE VISITED ONE OF THE WILDLIFE TRUSTS, 91 LOTS ACROSS CAPE CORAL, DEDICATED TO PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE GOPHER, TORTOISE AND BURROWING OWL AND DOCUMENTING THEIR SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP. HERE'S CHERYL ANDERSON. >> MAY HAVE BIG-TIME A CLAUSE, RIGHT? SO AND THEY'RE LIKE A BULLDOZER. THEY'RE DIGGING MACHINE. OKAY. SO YOU'RE NOT STOPPING THE TOURS, BUT THE ALS THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT LIGHTER BUILT. YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T HAVE THE DIGGING STRENGTH. >> BURROWING OWLS CAN DIG THEIR OWN HOMES, BUT TOUGH GRASS AND SOIL CAN MAKE IT DIFFICULT WHEN THEY'RE ONLY TOOLS ARE BEAK AND TALONS. BUT THE FLORIDA WILDLIFE COMMISSION SAYS THE GOPHER TORTOISE BIGGS, AN AVERAGE OF A DOZEN BOROUGHS IN ITS LIFETIME STRETCHING 15 FEET LONG AND 6 FEET DEEP WITH SOME EVEN REACHING OVER 40 FEET LONG. THE VACATED BURROWS BECOME A READY MADE HOME FOR BURROWING OWLS TO MOVE IN AND LAY THEIR EGGS. HOWEVER, THE EXPANDING DEVELOPMENT OF CAPE CORAL COULD POSE A THREAT TO BOTH OF THESE ANIMALS. PASHA. DONALDSON HAS WORKED WITH THE WILDLIFE TRUST FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND HAS WITNESSED HOW THESE HABITATS HAVE CHANGED. >> WHEN WE CAME HERE, THE POPULATION WAS SPENT 160,000 PERMANENT RESIDENTS. IT'S NOW 25,000 PERMANENT RESIDENTS. THE BUILDING IS STILL GOING ON TO LOSS OF HABITAT IS HUGE. >> THE CITY OF CAPE CORAL REPORTS THAT BY 2050, IT EXPECTS ALMOST 150,000 NEW RESIDENTS REQUIRING AT LEAST 1200 ACRES OF LAND TO SUPPORT THE INFLUX. FOR COMPARISON, ALL OF THE WILDLIFE TRUSTS LOT TOTAL JUST OVER 10 ACRES OF PROTECTED LAND. GOPHER TORTOISE IS CAMPOS. A CHALLENGE FOR DEVELOPERS WHO ARE REQUIRED TO RELOCATE PROTECTED SPECIES BEFORE BEGINNING CONSTRUCTION. IT'S A LONG PRICEY PROCESS TAKING 6 MONTHS TO REPROGRAM THE TORTOISE IS INTERNAL GPS AND COSTING PROPERTY OWNERS UP TO $5,000 PER TORTOISE. ACCORDING TO DONALDSON, IT'S EXPENSIVE. SO. >> A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO PAY THE MONEY AND THEY JUST THEY CAN DISAPPEAR. BALLOTS CAN FLY AWAY. GOPHER TORTOISES ARE STUCK. UNFORTUNATELY, WE LOSE A LOT OF WILDLIFE, NOT JUST GO FOR TOYS AND NOW SITS THIS PEOPLE ADDITIONAL LIKE WILDLIFE. THEY GO OUT OF THE WAY TO BE MEAN. >> FWC REPORTS THAT ONLY 2 GOPHER TORTOISES CAN INHABIT ONE ACRE OF LAND MAKING AVAILABLE HABITAT SCARES WHAT THE WILDLIFE TRUST HAS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION. THE RECOGNITION OF A NEW KIND OF GOPHER TORTOISE CALLED THE URBAN GOPHER TORTOISE. ANDERSON EXPLAINS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. OF A NEIGHBORHOOD SURROUNDED BY HOUSES. >> SO I DON'T THINK YOU COULD CALL THEM ANYTHING OTHER THAN THAT. >> AND URBAN GOPHER TORTOISE, JUST LIKE OUR OWLS HAVE ADAPTED TO LIVING IN PEOPLE'S FRONT YARDS AND LIVING IN THE CITY. THE TORTOISES HAVE ALSO >> ANDERSON SAYS SHE'S SEEN IT WITH HER OWN EYES AT THIS SINGLE SITE THAT HOLD OVER 70 GOPHER. TORTOISE BURROWS. >> WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE REGS ARE 2 TORTOISES PER ACRE. WHAT DO YOU THINK WE GOT GOING ON HERE AND FGCU STUDY ON MOVEMENT, ECOLOGY IN CAPE CORAL CONCLUDED THAT ADULT GOPHER TORTOISES ARE ADAPTABLE. >> AND TOLERANT OF HIGH LEVELS OF DEVELOPMENT, ALTHOUGH THEY DID NOT APPEAR TO BENEFIT FROM URBANIZATION. DONALDSON AGREED. >> IT IS IMPRESSIVE. YOU KNOW, AND OF COURSE IT LOSING HABITAT. YOU CAN SEE NEW HOUSES GOING UP, BUT THEY MANAGED TO SURVIVE. >> IF THE WILDLIFE TRUST CAN PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF THE URBAN GOPHER TORTOISE, IT COULD MEAN LESS RELOCATION. KEEPING THESE CRITTERS CLOSE TO THEIR ORIGINAL HABITAT. WE'RE BURROWING OWLS AND HUNDREDS OF OTHER ANIMALS CAN CONTINUE TO ENJOY THEIR COMPANY, INCLUDING PEOPLE LIKE ANDERSON. >> I'M NOT A BIG. A FAN OF USE IN OUR ABILITY TO SURVIVE. BUT THE SPECIES ADAPT TO SURVIVE. AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'VE DONE HERE. I BELIEVE