ORLANDO, Fla. — Monday is Gopher Tortoise Day.
To celebrate, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials are encouraging Floridians to help with conservation efforts for the threatened species every day.
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FWC says residents can get involved with conservation of gopher tortoises in several ways:
1. If a tortoise appears healthy and is not in immediate danger, leaving the tortoise alone is usually the best option.
2. If you see a gopher tortoise crossing a road and it is safe for you to do so, you may pick it up and place it in a safe location along the roadside in the direction it was heading.
Read: Florida offers payments, assistance for landowners to help with gopher tortoise conservation
3. Never put tortoises in water, as gopher tortoises can’t swim like turtles can.
4. Consider making your home and neighborhood gopher tortoise friendly by planting gopher tortoise friendly plants, creating a “Gopher Tortoise Friendly Yard” or, where appropriate, placing tortoise road crossing signs.
5. Learn more about living alongside tortoises at the FWC’s Gopher Tortoise Program Education Corner and Education Resources Page.
Read: Bats, bears & manatees, oh my: How to enjoy, help conserve Florida wildlife this spring
6. Consider volunteering with the FWC on gopher tortoise conservation efforts.
7. Plan a Gopher Tortoise Day event, such as an educational activity, a local proclamation signing, a volunteer day or a wildlife appreciation festival.
8. Report sightings of gopher tortoises and their burrows or notify the FWC of a sick, injured or dead tortoise.
9. Remember that gopher tortoises are a protected species. It is illegal to harm a gopher tortoise, its eggs or its burrow, to relocate without a permit, or to possess a tortoise, its eggs, or any parts of a tortoise. Report wildlife violations to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
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