Coyotes attacking relocated desert tortoises
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The military recently began moving endangered desert tortoises from a portion of the Mojave Desert to make way for an Army base expansion. But now the creatures are facing a new threat.
Coyotes have killed 11 relocated tortoises, like the one pictured above, since March, when federal officials began moving about 770 of them to make way for Army tank training at Ft. Irwin north of Barstow, the Associated Press reports.
A dozen tortoises already living in the relocation area also have died. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife expert says three tortoises survived attacks, although two lost a leg. Authorities say the coyotes may be attacking tortoises out of desperation because a drought has depleted their usual prey: rabbits. Federal authorities plan to track the coyotes and kill or capture them to protect the tortoises.
Read the whole story in the Riverside Press Enterprise.
-- Tony Barboza
