ATTN: ALL WILDLIFE ACTIVISTS AND HERPER COMMUNITY **POACHER ALERT**
This is literally happening right next door. James Blevins is my next door neighbor, a dear friend and a Champion for our local Gopher Tortoise colony. These animals are a protected species. Anyone caught harming them or removing them from their burrows will be charged with a Class III felony and do jail time. Please, please pass this video on and encourage everyone to report anyone disturbing these animals.
I immediately sent this video to a dear friend of mine who operates a gopher tortoise rescue and rehab facility in Okeechobee, Florida. What kind of scumbags would do this to those beautiful, already threatened, creatures? I hope they get caught and punished!
We do, too. Mr. Blevins has watched over this colony for years and it breaks his heart to see that so many of his beloved friends have gone missing. Thank you for forwarding the video on, Ginger. I appreciate it!
Its a dam shame that any one would want to poach them, and to possibly eat one makes it really messed up. We have an area near a small airport that has a large colony of gopher torts.That area is fenced in so people will leave them to go on tortin around.Plus they are rather ugly tort I dont know anyone that would want one or yet eat one.Hope they catch the peeps doing it.
I agree with everything you said, Tom, except for the statement that gopher tortoises are ugly. Although they're not as colorful as some other species, they have their own kind of beauty. Take a look at this gentle face and the patience in those dark eyes, and tell me that's an ugly tortoise.
Serpentwoman Moderator
Age : 53 Registration date : 2008-08-07
Subject: Re: **POACHER ALERT** SW FL Wed May 09, 2012 1:02 am
What a sweet face! (Reminds me of "The Great Atuin" from the Disc World series) You know, I never realized how much personality these little ones have until we got here. The big male comes strutting through our yard all the time. He'll stop, turn his head to look at us, give us this nod as if to say, "Whats up.", then there he goes, off to the burrows!
Guest Guest
Subject: Re: **POACHER ALERT** SW FL Fri May 11, 2012 11:44 am
I didnt mean ugly as UGLY I just dont care for them. All torts are cute just some are cuter.Gopher torts are jst not my favorite.Yall know I love all tort and turts. And all torts have a cute face.
Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:56 pm by 
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