[CPEO-MEF] BIOTA: Ft. Irwin (CA) tortoises

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

Army suspends relocation of Ft. Irwin tortoises
The $8.7-million effort has stopped because coyotes have killed so many 
in their new desert location.

By Louis Sahagun
Los Angeles Times
October 11, 2008

The Army's National Training Center at Ft. Irwin on Friday suspended its 
effort to move California desert tortoises off prospective combat 
training grounds and onto nearby public lands because the animals are 
being hit hard by coyotes.

The first phase of the $8.7-million translocation effort began in March, 
when about 670 tortoises were airlifted by helicopter out of the 
southern portion of the desert base northeast of Barstow to new homes in 
drought-stricken western Mojave Desert areas.

Since then, at least 90 translocated and resident tortoises in those 
areas have died, most killed and eaten by coyotes, according to federal 
biologists monitoring the project.

"We shut it down because of the mortality rate," said John Wagstaff, 
spokesman for the base.

"It will remain on hold until the Army and U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service determine the reasons behind it."

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-tortoise11-2008oct11,0,5560419.story

--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org



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