Salvaging Injured, Recently Dead, Ill, and Dying Wild, Free-Roaming Desert Tortoises (Gopherus Agassizii)

June 2001 | Publisher: USGS | Science Center: Western Ecological Research Center (WERC, Sacramento) | Format: URL

www.werc.usgs.gov — Salvage of injured, recently dead, ill, and dying desert tortoises is a very important part of recovery programs for these reptiles. Salvaged desert tortoises can provide a wealth of information about such subjects as health, disease, presence of heavy metals and other toxicants, and causes of mortality in populations. When tortoises are salvaged More... Salvage of injured, recently dead, ill, and dying desert tortoises is a very important part of recovery programs for these reptiles. Salvaged desert tortoises can provide a wealth of information about such subjects as health, disease, presence of heavy metals and other toxicants, and causes of mortality in populations. When tortoises are salvaged because they are injured (e.g., by a vehicle, fire, or domestic dogs), they may be appropriate for use as control or healthy individuals in comparisons with ill and diseased tortoises. Such tortoises, if sufficient in number, may reduce the need to take healthy animals from the wild for research purposes. Less...