In November, I was invited by the Bonita Bay Audubon Committee to participate in the relocation of a Gopher tortoise. This was a great opportunity for me to get better acquainted with the committee and become more familiar with their labor of love. We were all gathered at the Bonita Bay Club Golf Maintenance Center. Members of our entourage were Mrs. Ann Nobis (a BBC Member and Audubon Committee member), John Tekdogan (a volunteer from the von Arx Wildlife Hospital), Hal Akins (Director of Golf Course Operations) and Mrs. Martha Vanegas (Golf Course Operations Administrative Assistant).
We all made our way out to #9 tee Marsh where the release took place. I later found out that this area was the home of a community of Gopher Tortoises who had been relocated during the development of the Bonita Bay community. It is the perfect habitat for Gopher Tortoises because it is an upland sandy area perfect for them to create their burrows in. The burrows are easily seen due to the large white mounds of sand that were created during the construction of the burrow. Additionally, I learned something that I should have known beforehand. Gopher tortoises are terrestrial animals meaning they live entirely on land and should never be put in water, or else they would drown.
This is the second Gopher Tortoise release here at Bonita Bay Club. We released our first two tortoises earlier this year on April 27th. The Bonita Bay Club Audubon Committee will continue to partner with the von Arx Wildlife Hospital to facilitate future rehabilitated wildlife releases. Bonita Bay Club is unique in that it has two facilities that offer two distinctly different natural environments that provide the von Arx Wildlife Hospital the opportunity to release any of their rehabilitants not only Gopher Tortoises.
Joanna Fitzgerald, Director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital, sent us a history of the Gopher tortoise that we released and well as some educational information that I thought our membership might enjoy reading:
The adult male tortoise was admitted on 10/9/23 and was found on Hwy 41 within a ½ mile of Bonita Bay. The tortoise had an old fracture with mild shell displacement. The tortoise received a course of antibiotic and wound care at the fracture site. Supportive care at the von Arx Wildlife Hospital included daily soaks in a shallow water bin and multiple volunteer-supervised grazing sessions each day. During the last week at the hospital prior to release, the tortoise was very active and unsettled, which is an indicator that he was ready for release.
Gopher tortoises (Gopherus Polyphemus), a State-designated Threatened species are long-lived reptiles that occupy upland habitat throughout Florida including forests, pastures, and yards. Tortoises dig deep burrows for shelter and forage on low-growing plants. Gopher tortoises share their burrows with more than 350 other species including burrowing owls and indigo snakes and are referred to as a keystone species. A keystone species is an organism that holds an ecosystem together, without them, that ecosystem would collapse. Both the tortoise and its burrow are protected under state law. Private property owners play a critical role in conserving the gopher tortoise, and FWC has developed a Gopher Tortoise Friendly Yard Recognition Program to recognize and honor private landowners. Visit https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/gopher-tortoise/yard-recognition/ .
Chief threats to gopher tortoises are loss of their habitat due to development and habitat fragmentation from roads and housing developments, putting tortoises at high risk from vehicle strikes. Coastal populations of gopher tortoises were decimated by Hurricane Ian – burrows were flooded, tortoises drowned, and many were washed inland to areas that are not suitable for gopher tortoises to inhabit. The vegetation they relied on for forage along the beach was wiped out as well.
Please offer assistance if you see a tortoise attempting to cross the road. If the turtle is uninjured, place it out of danger in the direction it was headed. Tortoises are often misidentified, never put a tortoise in the water, it may drown. If the tortoise is injured, please bring it to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital for immediate medical assistance.
Bonita Bay offers an awe-inspiring living experience due to its unequaled natural beauty and diverse ecosystems. As stewards of this special place, we must continue to monitor, maintain and improve its health. This is the mission of the Bonita Bay Club Audubon Committee. They look forward to sharing more exciting news about future releases and other projects that they are undertaking.
Becky Salaun
Director of Communications