The Gopher tortoise, a species native to the southeastern United States, is facing a dire situation as its habitat is rapidly disappearing. This species has been a crucial part of the ecosystem for millions of years, but due to human development, agriculture, climate change, invasive species, and other factors, the Gopher tortoise population has declined […]
Tag: Gopher
Petition: Help Protect and Conserve Turtle and Tortoise Populations
Gopher tortoises are generally found in the southeastern United States, yet one was recently discovered in Massachusetts. Experts believe this is due to the illegal wildlife trade of turtles and tortoises, which is growing increasingly popular in the United States. This is not only a traumatic experience for turtles, but removing them from their habitats […]
Saving Florida’s gopher tortoises: Group rescues reptiles from death by development
Though gopher tortoises have persisted for millions of years, they now face a barrage of threats from loss of habitat and developers with permits that allow the reptiles to be buried alive. From 1991-2007, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued incidental take permits (ITPs) allowing land owners to pay a fee that would allow […]
Petition: Yet Another Mountain Lion Has Been Killed by Rat Poison
When two mountain lion kittens were discovered in a remote den in the Santa Monica Mountains three years ago, there were concerns about their ability to survive in this challenging environment. Although a wildlife corridor across the busy 101 Freeway is in the planning stages, I wondered back in January 2016 if it would it […]
Taking Cue From ‘Caddyshack,’ Trump National Golf Club Shoots Gophers
Apparently inspired by the movie “Caddyshack,” the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., is dealing with gophers, squirrels and other critters in an unusual, cruel and illegal way: by shooting them. In “Caddyshack,” groundskeeper Carl Spackler, played by Bill Murray, tries unsuccessfully to kill a destructive gopher using several cartoonishly violent methods, […]
Tuco-Tuco: Four New Species of Gopher-Like Mammal Discovered in Bolivia
A multinational group of scientists headed by Dr Scott Gardner of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has described four new species of burrowing rodents from the South American genus Ctenomys. Commonly called tuco-tucos, these rodents are members of the family Octodontidae, although they are sometimes classified in their own family – Ctenomyidae. Their name is derived from […]
The Yellow-billed Magpie is a California Endemic
The Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli) is a true California endemic species. They are found primarily in the Central Valley, the southern Coast Ranges, and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where they prefer oak savannah habitat. A member of the Corvidae family, Yellow-billed Magpies eat mostly ground dwelling invertebrates but will partake of carrion, and […]
Wildlife Slaughter in South Dakota
Imagine my amazement this morning to see a Google advertisement inviting me to hunt wildlife in South Dakota – and I live in Switzerland! It seems that South Dakota is being promoted as the ideal tourist destination for wildlife hunting. So I clicked on the advertisement and within a few minutes realized that wildlife hunting […]