The struggle to stop a ‘threatened’ species from breeding and thus ruining everything
The Mojave Desert Tortoise is listed by the federal government as a “threatened” species, which allows extreme environmentalists and their co-religionist government thugs to impose restrictions on land use by humans in Southern Nevada, supposedly to protect the tortoise’s delicate wild habitat.
Anyone not familiar with this particular exercise in lunacy might draw the conclusion that the tortoise prospers only in untouched arid desert, that upon sight of an approaching human or cow, let alone a human-generated dirt road or house or barn, the poor reptiles just roll over and shiver until they die of fright.
But anyone drawing that conclusion might be puzzled by the new Nevada state regulation set to take effect May 1, allowing owners of pet tortoises to keep only one such animal at a time.
Why? The Nevada Wildlife Commission, which adopted the regulation last month, says the problem is that when allowed to pair up the tortoises breed, and the last thing the government wants is any bigger population boom among this “threatened” species.
In recent years, researchers charged with accepting strays have found themselves so swamped — up to 1,000 new, unwanted tortoises each year — that the federal government’s Desert Tortoise Conservation Center at the south edge of town canceled its pickup service and stopped accepting new animals.
Leave aside for a moment NDOW’s backward and politically incorrect refusal to allow domestic partnerships between same-sex tortoise couples. The fundamental purpose of the Endangered Species Act, explains Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Doug Nielsen (in a rare attack of plain talk), is to preserve the ecosystems on which the species supposedly depends, not simply to boost animal’s numbers.
It couldn’t be much more clear. The tortoise is a mere cat’s paw. Should tortoise numbers “recover” (despite the government’s efforts to keep them from breeding, and also note the curious reluctance of the “species protectors” to tell us what the numerical goal is, so we’ll know when no more “protection” is needed), this gang will merely turn up some new “threatened” weed or bug to play the same development-blocking role.
The real agenda of those who seek to win “endangered” or “threatened” designations for species including the tortoise has little to do with the weeds, bugs, and reptiles supposedly to be “saved,” and everything to do with rolling back and blocking productive, wealth-creating new use of vacant land by humankind.
The truth is, a suburban backyard is the favorite habitat of the tortoise — the habitat in which they prosper best — second only to the nearest golf course. The encroachments of mankind on the desert have not “threatened” the tortoise, which early explorers actually considered extinct, since in the days before ranchers arrived to develop springs and tanks, the reptiles were so rare that all the explorers ever found were old shells.
In fact, the arrival of European-based civilization has triggered a tortoise population explosion.
It would make about as much sense to block human beings from developing more of the arid Mojave Desert, in an effort to protect the rare and threatened pigeon.
May 1st, 2013 at 11:21 am
Having just spent one month in rural Wyoming, it was clear that many wild animals preferred to stay near human civilization. Deer were a daily site on developed property or inside large cattle pastures, but were practically non-existent when you got out into the undeveloped areas. Near Jackson, the elk, deer, bison, and moose all stayed close to the airport or town. Once out in the wide open spaces, these animals were scarcely seen.
May 1st, 2013 at 11:36 am
The same can be said of the soon-to-be ‘threatened’ sage grouse.
Loved this line: “Leave aside for a moment NDOW’s backward and politically incorrect refusal to allow domestic partnerships between same-sex tortoise couples.”
May 3rd, 2013 at 11:15 am
Oh yeah… and anyone worried about the mule deer becoming the least “endangered” is welcome to any number of the herds that infest my land… I can’t shoot them, and I have so far discovered no way to induce them to leave and eat someone else’s trees… sigh
May 3rd, 2013 at 12:22 pm
My experience was driving through small towns in Wisconsin at night. Deer looked like someone’s pets they were so at-home in the yards. Raccoons, opossums, and cats were difficult to avoid, especially raccoons. They seemed to be trying to dive under the car.
Mamaliberty,
you could try driving a vehicle at them. Govermint can’t stop all accidents, right?
Maybe you could taze the deer. After all, Tazers “aren’t lethal.”
Seriously, look at permaculture websites for bone sauce.
You place a kettleful of bones over a kettle with a tiny amount of water (cup), dividing the kettles with a wire screen. Seal the crack with clay, pack soil up the sides and light a fire on top for two hours.
You wait about two days to open the pots. There in the bottom will be a cup of black GOOP that smells terrible. Apparently you can stretch this with veg oil and still it stinks, because one coat repels deer for YEARS.
May 4th, 2013 at 11:28 am
Never heard of the bone thing, Lava… might drag that past some folks here and see what they say. The problem is the sheer size of the land. It’s not possible to spray or apply anything to all the trees, bushes, etc. Not in a lifetime.
And running into deer deliberately with my car would only destroy the car… need to get something a LOT heavier for that to work. LOL And there’s only one road on my place anyway.
Taser? I’m sure that would be great on a one to one basis… but there are thousands of the damned things all over the place. And they do not learn much from experience, let alone example… They run when I start hitting them with BBs, but they come back the next day as if nothing had happened.
The up side to it all is that there will be plenty to eat, at least for a while, once there is no longer any real reason not to just shoot them.
May 5th, 2013 at 12:34 am
Tasing the deer will just put you in jail for harassing a wild animal and have Peta camping on your door step. My wife and I have just a regular house and garden so we can’t speak about deer control on large areas, but we have found that Liquid Fence does keep deer and rabbits away from our ornamental trees, roses, and plants. Often we will find one bit out of a plant and the chewed leave spat out on the ground. It stinks to high heaven for about two days, but after that the smell is negligible. Oh yes, and wear rubber gloves when mixing the stuff or your hands will smell to high heaven for two days also.
May 6th, 2013 at 9:14 am
Its time for Green Libertarianism to take over the debate to save wildlife from “eco-friendly” socialists govt ownership laws,…ie govt owns the wildlife via neglect and mismanagement and eventual extinction. Socialist ownership does not work, private ownership does. Privatization is the way forward…such as the GAMBOA RAINFOREST RESORT in Panama whereby private interests are tied to Wildlife management.