Desert tortoises are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act
and are listed as threatened. This means that they are protected from being
removed from the wild,
from being touched or harassed in any form.
Extreme temperatures and low rain fall here in the desert
make for a very harsh life for the tortoise. But with increase of human presence,
they are now faced with new threats: development, meaning that they lose habitat,
raven predation, they're removed from the wild because people want them as pets and
then they have to have to worry about crossing the road where they can be hit by vehicles.
Here are some ways that you can help this threatened species.
One: if you happen to see a tortoise while you are out hiking, take a step back and enjoy
watching this tortoise in its natural habitat.
Two: pack it in, pack it out. By removing your trash
you help keep the raven population low. Ravens are known predators of baby tortoises.
Three: stay on marked routes and obey the posted speed limits.
By driving slow, you'll be more likely to see tortoises that may be in or on the roads.
Tortoises are commonly seen on the road here in Joshua Tree National Park.
They're traveling from burrow to burrow within their home range, they're looking
for mates, they're looking for wild flowers which are their natural food source,
and they also might be drawn to the road where they're standing puddles of water from rain.
Only in an emergency situation
where a tortoise is in imminent danger of being killed by a vehicle on the road
do we suggest moving it. If you happen to see a tortoise on the road
that's not in immediate danger of being hit or is moving off the road on its own accord,
give it plenty of space, play tortoise crossing guard providing for your safety first,
and allow for the tortoise to move off on its own. In the unlikely event that
you do have to move a tortoise here are a few simple instructions.
One: use a barrier if available.
this can be gloves, it could be a t-shirt or
it could also be a page from the newsletter.
By using a barrier, this helps decrease the spread of an upper respiratory tract disease that we
can carry from to tortoise to tortoise.
And if you don't have something to use, that's okay. The most important thing is
to get the tortoise out of harm's way.
The general public will rarely, if ever, need to handle multiple tortoises in one day.
Two: move it low and slow.
Pick it up with both hands, keeping it level and a few inches off the road
you want to walk it slowly to the side of the road.
Three: move it in the direction that it was already going. These tortoises know where they want to go.
If you put it back on the wrong side of the road, the tortoise is just going
to turn around and cross the road again.
Four: move the tortoise about 50 to 100 feet off the road and place it in a shady spot.
It will move up on its own when it ready.
One of the reasons that tortoises should not be harassed or touched outside of an emergency situation
is that they can for void their bladder, or pee. Desert tortoises are walking
canteens of the desert; they can carry their water in their bladder for up to a year.
If they void their bladder and there are no grasses or wildflowers
for them to eat to replenish this water, this can be potentially fatal.
The greatest threats to the desert tortoise result from human activities.
Our actions have a direct impact on the survival of this desert species.
Will you see tortoises on your next visit to Joshua Tree National Park?