The California desert tortoise is in danger again

Drought, coyotes and even the humans trying to protect the endangered reptiles are causing their deaths. Louis Sahagun has a very sad story.

-- Veronique de Turenne

Video: John Vander Wege / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[sheila]

WTF? it is insane to think that moving these animals to inappropriate habitat is a reasonable mitigation. i am so sick of "progress" (the latest is these "solar and wind farms") forcing tortoise from their chosen habitat onto dangerous, inhospitable habitat and calling it even. LET THEM LIVE WHERE THEY LIVE - WE DON'T NEED TO KILL MORE WILDERNESS FOR THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX! This includes FAKE "green" power. put solar panels and mini-windmills on roofs, and leave the tortoises where they belong.

[Michael]

I love the quote about the politicians calling the plan a "win-win" situation. When it comes to science, politicians have to be the most ignorant group of people you will ever find. Political Science is not "science", so anything a politician says regarding science or engineering has to be completely discounted. Next time people, do you homework.

[observer]

Our government put those tortoises to death by putting them where they did and did not even check with a professional in the area to see that the coyotes and other points such as food and water and shelter were going to be a good combination for the transition of tortoises. After seeing stories on the news about the way the government had kept the condition of the barracks for the troops at Fort Bragg when they came home from war does not surprise me that they could care less about an animal if they do not care about a human. Then they try to blame someone or something else. Sometimes I am ashamed of how our country behaves. It took a dad visiting his son and getting sickened by the conditions to take pictures and expose what was going on at the barracks. If the military treats their war dogs by either killing them or leaving them behind after the dogs have been soldiers for our country,a few tortoises are nothing more than a irritation and throw away items to them.

[observer]

The info is that the military did have professional people discuss the win win situation of the tortoise transition. Even knowing the down falls they still went ahead and did the deed anyway. With full justification and then a "oh we will fix the problem immediately for the tv cameras" attitude. but they will still do more tortoise moving in the future. The military says, we have to protect our country from terrorists and the torts are not that important" Along with all the other things that are not important to the military, but are important to the American people. I hope that more of you out there will get involved and not keep your mouths shut speak up people. Write blogs and protest in person that we do not want to put up with this any more and not in the future. The military will do whatever they want to humans and animals and say look at how other people are behaving in other countries, when our country's military has some behavorial issues to be straightened out.