New law to take effect in Nevada

[AustinASU]

New Law To Take Place In Nevada, One Tortoise Per Household

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada-and-west/new-rule-limits-tortoises-one-home


This is going to break peoples hearts.

 

[JeffG]

RE: New Law To Take Place In Nevada, One Tortoise Per Household

This really sounds like it only applies to desert tortoises. I might be wrong, but that's the way I read it. Tyler Stewart should have some insight as a breeder in Nevada. Hopefully he will see this thread.

 

[sueb4653]

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada-and-west/new-rule-limits-tortoises-one-home

 

[mctlong]

Re: New Law To Take Place In Nevada, One Tortoise Per Household

The article was unclear to me since they used the terms "tortoise" and "desert tortoise" interchangeably. I couldn't tell whether or not this law only applies to desert tortoises.

Regardless, I think the law is bass-ackward. If the problem is breeding, make breeding illegal, not ownership. (Although personally, I'd like to see more DTs bred in captivity, not fewer.)

 

[AustinASU]

RE: New Law To Take Place In Nevada, One Tortoise Per Household

This politics at it's finest here.....save a critically endangered species....hmmm ohhh i know lets not let them be bred anymore.....i mean whos to say that hypothetically a huge brush fire wipes out 80% of the wild specimens in one year/.....then what.

 

[jaizei]

RE: New Law To Take Place In Nevada, One Tortoise Per Household

It only pertains to desert tortoises. Those who already have animals can keep them.

 

[JeffG]

RE: New Law To Take Place In Nevada, One Tortoise Per Household

I definitely agree, it's stupid even if it only affects desert tortoises, but it is even worse if it applies to other torts as well. Hopefully non-desert tortoises are not affected by this law.

 

[jaizei]

RE: New Law To Take Place In Nevada, One Tortoise Per Household

This politics at it's finest here.....save a critically endangered species....hmmm ohhh i know lets not let them be bred anymore.....i mean whos to say that hypothetically a huge brush fire wipes out 80% of the wild specimens in one year/.....then what.

The problem is that there are too many hatching in captivity and they are either being released, given up, or escaping.

So why are the people charged with saving the desert tortoise trying to cut down on the number of them that are born each year?

Because one of the fundamental purposes of the Endangered Species Act is to conserve the ecosystems on which species depend, not simply boost population numbers by any means possible, Nielsen said.

In recent years, researchers trying to study and protect the wild tortoise population have found themselves overrun with unwanted pets and strays.

The onslaught became so unmanageable — up to 1,000 unwanted tortoises a year — that the federal government’s Desert Tortoise Conservation Center at the southern edge of Las Vegas canceled its pickup service and stopped accepting pets earlier this year.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

OK, so why is it a bad thing for folks to be more easily able to adopt these "excess" desert tortoises as pets?

If the government can't take in any more, what does the government think will happen to the excess ones that are "unwanted"?

Euthanasia? How would this be a good thing?

 

[Millerlite]

Sounds to me like they don't even know how they will enforce the law. Interesting article

 

[ascott]

I am a supporter of this and actually was under the impression this was already their rule.....? I know folks will have at me for saying I agree....but that is fine.

There is too much back yard breeding of the Desert Tort and it produces way too many torts...yes, there are a handful of folks here on this forum that would love to have them...but even if there were enough folks here to take the numerous babies there would be continued waves of more and more and more---with no additional places for them to live out their extremely long life....the best thing and the biggest favor this species could be afforded would be for folks to strictly strictly strictly keep male and female Desert Torts away from each other....the point for offering yourself up as a Desert Tort host is to understand you are providing a home for a forever displaced species....there has been such widespread damage and such large areas disturbed in such a permanent type way, there is likely not going to be a natural recovery---hence why it is essential that efforts be made to stop further damage and disturbance in their few remaining wild land areas....regardless to what we humans think, we have no right nor do we have the skills necessary to think we know what is best for them....leaving them be and providing some sanctions on the remaining wild lands would be our best offering....

 

[Tortus]

So releasing captive born hatchlings/torts into the wild isn't an option?

I suppose it could mess up the gene pool in some way. Reptiles have strong survival instincts and would know what to do in the wild if released.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

I've heard (forget the source, though) that there's a concern that, by releasing captive-raised babies, a devestating disease MIGHT be spread, wiping out the entire species...seems a bit far-fetched to me.

 

[ascott]

There is a high chance of disease being transmitted to wild populations...a tort that has been captive bred/raised yes will eventually either live or die due to the sudden extremes from captive to all of the elements it is not use to in the wild....just as a wild tort forced into captivity who was once a strong tort in the wild can fall ill and die...stress is a huge factor in the living or death of a tort and if a tort becomes stressed in the wild it will become less able to be "normal" and its chances of thriving, let alone surviving declines...URI is a HUGE risk....a tort can have dormant issues that will never come to the surface until the right stressors are in play...

Do torts die in the wild---absolutely, drought and unusual situations can play into this....wild lands disturbed and destroyed are another...nature is a delicate balance and when enough of it is has been damaged then an entire species, or series of species can and do die out....

 

[EricIvins]

I've heard (forget the source, though) that there's a concern that, by releasing captive-raised babies, a devestating disease MIGHT be spread, wiping out the entire species...seems a bit far-fetched to me.

It already has happened.....Reference "Mycoplasma in Tortoises"......

All Gopherus species in the US have populations with it.......The origin is up for debate, but it is more than likely from escaped/released Sulcata Tortoises.....

 

[tortadise]

I've heard (forget the source, though) that there's a concern that, by releasing captive-raised babies, a devestating disease MIGHT be spread, wiping out the entire species...seems a bit far-fetched to me.

It already has happened.....Reference "Mycoplasma in Tortoises"......

All Gopherus species in the US have populations with it.......The origin is up for debate, but it is more than likely from escaped/released Sulcata Tortoises.....

Agreed. This is a substantial reason of the mass loss of these guys in the 60s-70s that led them to become protected. This is also a reason why Texas tortoises arent allowed to be possessed by private citizens. Every TPW and Game warden I talk to about it, references the possibility of people releasing them back into the wild and this would become detrimental to the wild populations. Same thing in the 70s-80s in Argentina with the chaco tortoises. A group of "conservationists" bred chacos and released them into the wild in regions of collection sites for pet trade. Well year after year they noticed mass death of wild adult and sub adult chacos. Investigated it and linked to the captive mycoplasma, herpes, coccidias etc... specimens wiping out the wild populations. It is one reason why the only way to reintroduce any captive bred animal back into the wild. Is in a controlled location. Which is what is happening with the yniphoria. Chances are not worth it.

I agree with this also. It may seem like Nevada is taking rights away. But in reality they are doing whats best for the wild population and anything that could possibly pose a threat.

 

[mike taylor]

I would rather see them in the wild than in our back yards. As long as they are doing good in the wild. But I do think some people should be able to breed and let them go in the wilds but not anybody that has them should .As long as the health of the baby's are good and are regulated for a breeding program.

Sent from my C771 using TortForum mobile app

 

[mctlong]

Are there any regulated/programmatic reintroduction programs currently in place for this species or is all the reintroduction happening today the result of released/escaped pets?

 

[Chinque]

Huuuuuuuuugggeeee buuuuuummmmmmmmeerrr... Even though I don't live in Nevada, this just makes me SO ANGRY!!! Well, to quote one of my teachers, "Any right you have can be taken away."

 

[ascott]

"Any right you have can be taken away."

I believe that this should apply to the right of so many species now in trouble, just to be able to exist in their own wild lands....without us humans always thinking it is our right to possess a living creature without regard to that creatures rights....