Conservation groups across the state have filed a petition asking the state of California to grant endangered status to the desert tortoise. Reporter Joshua King has more information on the story…
According to a petition filed by conservation groups, the desert tortoise is dangerously close to extinction in California. Advocates are calling for the California Fish and Game Commission to upgrade the species’ status from threatened to endangered. Pamela Flick with the Defenders of Wildlife says that there has been a rapid decline in population.
“Adult tortoise population numbers have dropped by over 50% in some recovery areas just since 2004, and by as much as 80 to 90% in some habitat since approximately 1980.”
Research shows the animals falling victim to a variety of threats, from uncontrolled off-road vehicle use, livestock grazing, contagious disease, infrastructure disruption, and extended droughts likely associated with climate change. Flick says inadequate protective measures have failed.
“Despite 30 years of federal and state protections as a threatened species, the desert tortoise is closer to extinction than it was in 1990 when it was first listed.”
