Plastic Pond Scum Turtle Rescue

Mooseherder · November 04, 2009, 07:41:26 PM

My wife and daughter saved a Turtle today. ;) You can see the pond scum on the shell.
It was stuck in the neighbors makeshift plastic pond in the middle of his driveway and was probably in there for a while waitin' fer rescue. Nobody has lived there for quite a few months. Now he is famous on the FF and da Youtube. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxD9_60QIRg

Tom · November 04, 2009, 08:15:51 PM

I'll bet that is one happy dude. He's a 'Protected in Florida" Gopher Turtle (tortoise) and is a lot happier in a sand dune, eating cactus, than in the water. I'm not sure that they can even swim much. I don't know what would happen if he was over his head, probably drown.

Y'all did good !!

WDH · November 04, 2009, 09:21:52 PM

Yep, that gopher was toast in that pond.

Two points to the Mooseherders!

DanG · November 04, 2009, 10:47:26 PM

"Protected in Florida"? Is somebody running short of them? I can hardly mow my pasture for the Gopher Turtle holes! Oops! Don't y'all tell anybody or the turtle cops won't let me mow the field anymore.

Tom · November 04, 2009, 11:30:45 PM

In Florida, the gopher tortoise is a threatened species. The gopher tortoise and its burrow are protected by state law. Permits from the FWC are required to capture and relocate tortoises. More information about laws protecting the gopher tortoise can be found on our website.

FWC Website

SwampDonkey · November 05, 2009, 04:01:00 AM

We have snapping turtles here.

This guy was living in a marsh area next to the Hugh John Forestry Centre in Fredericton, NB.

fishpharmer · November 05, 2009, 04:18:42 AM

You done good Mooseherder. 8)

Raider Bill · November 05, 2009, 08:16:58 AM

Quote from: DanG on November 04, 2009, 10:47:26 PM
"Protected in Florida"? Is somebody running short of them? I can hardly mow my pasture for the Gopher Turtle holes! Oops! Don't y'all tell anybody or the turtle cops won't let me mow the field anymore.

I guess Turtle soup's off the menu at Dangs house. :-\

WDH · November 05, 2009, 09:28:38 AM

Quote from: Tom on November 04, 2009, 11:30:45 PM
In Florida, the gopher tortoise is a threatened species. The gopher tortoise and its burrow are protected by state law. Permits from the FWC are required to capture and relocate tortoises. More information about laws protecting the gopher tortoise can be found on our website.

FWC Website

To add to Tom's point, my Company looked at putting in a Gohper Tortoise Conservation Bank in Mississippi where we would use our land as habitat for relocated tortoises. The person or entity relocating the tortoise would have to pay us a fee for accepting the tortoise. Then we would have to maintain that site for the tortoises in perpetuity via a Conservation Easement being placed on the deed so that the property could never be developed in the future. Each tortoise would be radio-collered and monitored. The tortoise density was based on the quality of the habitat, but generally you are talking about 1 gopher per acre. The cost for the Conservation Credit to relocate a tortoise to such a bank was about $3500/tortoise, and with 1 tortoise to the acre, that comes to $3500/ac. That was not enough money to be on the hook for protecting and tracking these tortoises in perpetuity, so we decline to pursue the opportunity.

These Conservation banks for threatened or endangered species are beginning to be established in certain parts of the country. There is a Gopher Tortoise Conservation bank in Alabama near Mobile, so DanG, when you make a gopher homeless now, you know where to go pay and relocate the little bugger :D.

Establishing Wetlands Mitigation Banks and other such environmental stuff is one of the things that I do for my Company. Very interesting stuff, but very frustrating to deal with because of all the bureaucracy and a bevy of governmental agencies that require approval and oversight. Plus, you are on the hook for perpetuity, and at least down here, perpetuity is a long time

.

Mooseherder · November 05, 2009, 06:27:44 PM

Wow, we didn't even know what a Gopher Tortoise looked like until yesterday. I'm glad my girls went snooping around at the neighbors like Mrs. Kravitz. :D
Looks like it was a male and they said he felt about 25-30 lbs. He wasn't lettin' the grass grow under his feet with his new found freedom. I'd bet his mission was some grub and soft sand.

Tom · November 06, 2009, 11:31:26 AM

There has been a post made in a Forum that is instrumental in addressing pertinant information to Loggers, Landowners and Foresters. It is about the Federal Government widening the gopher tortoise protection to three more South East States. Read it at this link.

Weekend_Sawyer · December 06, 2009, 08:40:06 AM

Ok, so I am easily side tracked. After the turtle video youtube pops up similar videos, Did anyone watch the Swamp Girl videos? She is like the Steve Irwin of the south! Now that's entertainment!

Jeff · December 06, 2009, 08:56:00 AM

Jon, I went and checked it out. I came away with two acute observations. She has a very limited wardrobe, a severely receding hairline and an affinity for opossums. Oh, and it was entertaining. ;)

Weekend_Sawyer · December 06, 2009, 09:09:13 AM

Well, I hadn't noticed the severly high hairline till you mentioned it. But I'm a forgiving kinda guy

.

fishpharmer · December 06, 2009, 09:11:29 AM

Quote from: Jeff on December 06, 2009, 08:56:00 AM
Jon, I went and checked it out. I came away with two acute observations. She has a very limited wardrobe, a severely receding hairline and an affinity for opossums. Oh, and it was entertaining. ;)

X2

I will add that the possum video was a little misleading in the beginning. I have never seen a wild possum act like that. She does finally let on its been raised by humans.
I did learn two things, possums are immune to venomous snake bites and they pull stuff around with their prehensile tails. I have personally never observed them pulling things with their tail. I have met lots of possums ;D

I also watched her Gopher tortoise video.........Does anyone know how the tortoises finds`
their way around so well. How do the see where to go, especially in tall grass. I am under the impression they leave the burrow at least daily to look for food and then return. So do they have GPS built in? Does anyone who read this far know?