A gopher tortoise emerges from its burrow. In the Depression they saved starving Floridians but now they're the ones that need saving. (Photo via Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.) ...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Though gopher tortoises have persisted for millions of years, they now face a barrage of threats from loss of habitat and developers with permits that allow the reptiles to be buried ...

Once fully trained, Echo will be the first dog in the United States that sniffs out gopher tortoises, according to Jones and Kristine Hoffmann, a wildlife biologist and conservation dog handler from ...

TCPalm environment reporter Timothy O'Hara heard about a proposed Indian River County housing development that could wipe out an unprecedented number of gopher tortoise burrows. Beyond compiling ...

TALLAHASSEE --- State wildlife officials defended an emergency order that expands how far threatened gopher tortoises can be relocated as booming development continues in Florida. But members of the ...

Two gopher tortoises were spray painted with bright colors in Naples, Florida, causing a local conservancy to rush to their aid Conservancy of Southwest Florida An act of vandalism could have a ...

Collapsed burrows. Alarmed neighbors. Slow agency response. The destruction of a once-thriving gopher tortoise community in Lehigh Acres last week typifies what’s happening to the threatened species ...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating a mystery at a local nature preserve. The City of St. Petersburg notified the FWC in March after it ...

One of Southwest Florida's most beloved reptiles is finally getting celebrated the way it always deserved to be. Gopher Tortoise Day is April 10, with the goal of raising awareness for the threatened ...

Slow and steady wins the race, but unhurried preservation measures could lead to the Florida gopher tortoises’ demise. “They are these incredible ecosystem engineers,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and ...

“It was just peaceful and quiet. We loved the area. My aunt actually lives right next door,” she says. “And it would be within the same school district that our kids are in now.” The plan was simple: ...