Gopher tortoise Gus finally returns home
On Aug. 25, the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) released a threatened species gopher tortoise back into the wild after eight long months of recovery.
Gus had been a patient at CROW since Dec. 6, 2013. He came to the clinic after being hit by a car in Lehigh Acres. Gus’s shell had major cracks and he was dragging his left leg. Originally, CROW staff members didn’t think he would be able to be released due to the severity of his injuries.
“He had to have his shell repaired. He also needed medications for his pain, medications for the inflammation from the original accident and antibiotics to prevent any infections. It was a lot of wound care and then physical therapy,” said Dr. Heather Barron, CROW’s hospital director. “Gus was with us for a long time. We have a limit that animals can stay with us – no longer than six month – or we have to check in with authorities and let them know that it’s the opinion of the veterinarian that the animal will be releasable, but still needs further rehabilitation. Then they can grant an extension.”
Because of his remarkable recovery, Gus was made a CROW animal “ambassador” and used in the Wonders of Wildlife presentation at CROW’s visitor education center. Through these presentations, CROW is able to educate the public on the importance of the local ecosystem that this threatened species plays.
“The thing about reptiles, they are slow to get sick, but they are really slow to heal. Whenever we are running up against that 6-month barrier, it’s usually with reptiles because they don’t get better as quickly as other types of animals,” Barron said.
On Aug. 25, Gus had finally healed enough to be transported back to his natural habitat with the assistance of David Mason, a senior environmental scientist with Boylan Environmental Consultants. Mason picked Gus up from Specialized Veterinary Services in Fort Myers before driving out to the area of Lehigh Acres where Gus was originally discovered. Before Mason released Gus, he scouted the area to ensure the adult gopher turtle would be able to readapt to the environment, including digging a “starter burrow” for Gus.
“The release went really well,” Mason said. “It was a pretty typical release. This guy went straight for the burrow, which is really nice. I always like to do what I call the ‘soft release,’ digging at least a two-foot burrow. That way he has immediate shelter, shade and protection, rather than throw him on the site and let him fend for himself. Their own burrows can take up to three days to build.”
Once Mason released Gus from the animal carrier, he easily crawled on his own into the temporary burrow.
“He was a feisty guy,” Mason said. “It’s nice to see the ones that are feisty and have no look of being weary of their surroundings. I got him out of the cage and off he went. I was happy.”
As in any food web, removing certain flora or fauna out of the equation can adversely affect the survival of that ecosystem. According to CROW, the gopher tortoise is especially important because the burrows, which are dug by the tortoises, also provide homes for other animals, such as indigo snakes, gopher frogs, mice, foxes, skunks, opossums, rabbits, quail, armadillos, burrowing owls, snakes, lizards, frogs, toads and other invertebrates. Gopher tortoise burrows are home to about 250 species of animals at one time or another. Some species share the burrows with the tortoises and others utilize abandoned burrows. Since the burrows are used by so many species, removing the tortoises from the local habitat would leave many animals without homes.
“It’s such an important index species,” Barron said. “We are so happy that Gus is back out in the wild. He can definitely have an impact. Not only by having a happy life himself, but on other wild animals out there. We’re really glad to see him back out in that environment.”
CROW’s facilities, located on Sanibel, include a visitor education center and a state-of-the-art hospital where ill and injured animals receive care.