(KTNV) — More than a dozen biologists and volunteers walked through the Boulder City Conservation Easement Wednesday, releasing 51 desert tortoises into the wild.
The BCCE conserves 87,268 acres of the Mojave Desert, protecting desert tortoises and other species covered by the Clark County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Program.
"I mean, 51 tortoises are a lot of tortoises," said Desert Conservation Program Senior Biologist Scott Cambrin. "There are probably only about 400 or 500 out at this location here, so it's a big increase to the numbers we have."
Cambrin says there should be four desert tortoises per every square kilometer in the area, but there's less than half of that now.
Some of the tortoises released were recovered from construction sites in Clark County earlier this year, but many were from USGS facilities.
"Those were research animals, so they've been a part of different research projects like health and growth studies, things of that nature," Cambrin said.
Before releasing the tortoises, biologists check the health of the tortoises. They get a 20-minute soak in water, and then the team finds some greenery to place them under.
Check it out 🐢
— KTNV | Channel 13 News Las Vegas (@KTNV) October 5, 2023
Our Ryan Ketcham was with biologists today, walking through the Mojave Desert and releasing these desert tortoises into the wild. pic.twitter.com/K3zO4efRMY
Cambrin says there's no lack of greenery this year with all the summer monsoons and their heavy rainfall, but water isn't always great for tortoise habitats.
"I didn't have a break off for the last month from that, specifically because a lot of burrows, where tortoises were hiding in, got washed," said volunteer Robert Smith.
Biologists say drought can also cause the desert tortoise population to drop.
"The jackrabbit population tends to plummet when the drought happens, so the animals that depend on the jackrabbits, like coyotes, might be switching to a different prey source," Cambrin said.
That's why these people say they're dedicated to their protection.
Teams of biologists plan to walk the desert several times throughout the year to keep an eye on the progress of these special reptiles.
