Since 1991 the state has allowed between 80,000 and 100,000 of these turtles to be buried alive by developers ~ for a fee.    Orange County recently granted the Orlando Expressway Authority the 'right' to bury an estimated 469 tortoises for a road expansion project!  By the time Biologist Matt Aresco found out about the plan to bulldoze them, only 4 were left.   "All the rest are buried under a new highway now", he says, "and we could've taken them all!"    What I want to know is how come no animal organizations were notified before this tragedy occurred so steps could be taken to save them??   Burying an animal alive???? How cruel is that?  There is one light on the horizon.  Self-made millionaire, M.C. Davis is playing a crucial role in defending the Gopher Tortoise.  Since 2001 he has been buying up land with the goal of connecting 1 million acares of federal, state and private lands in the Florida Panhandle.   Taken in total, Nokuse (pronounced "no-go-see") Plantation, Apalachicola National Forest and Eglin Air Force Base could provide safe haven for tens of thousands of tortoises!!   Does this sound like a doable project all over the U.S?   Letting animal organizations and private donors and or citizens buy up land to create sanctuaries for wildlife and endangered species BEFORE developers destroy everything!  

Read about the plight of the tortoise and note, forward & cross post!  

http://www.care2.com/news/member/172225705/61562

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