MIAMI (CBS4) — Florida’s gopher tortoise population deserves to
be added to the nation’s list of endangered and threatened
species but funding shortages could delay the listing for years,
federal wildlife officials said on Tuesday. There is sufficient
scientific data to list the gopher tortoise as threatened in
parts of Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, said
Cindy Dohner, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s regional
director for the Southeast. “But we do not have the resources to
pursue the listing process at this time,” she told reporters
during a conference call, noting the process can cost $300,000
or more. The gopher tortoise, which is sandy brown in color and
can grow to up to 15 pounds, will instead join a list of 251
other species designated as candidates for federal protection,
meaning wildlife managers acknowledge their survival is in
danger but they don’t have the money to do anything about it.
It’s unclear how long it will take to draw up a full recovery
plan, which includes mapping o