The State - News from Oct. 2, 1989

Discovery of 45 dead desert tortoises on a 288-acre parcel north of Las Vegas is a strong indication that tortoises in Southern Nevada are being felled by the respiratory disease that led to their emergency designation as an endangered species, a biologist said. The finding could be significant because local officials and developers in the booming Las Vegas area have opposed such designation of the tortoise, based on the claim that there is no scientific evidence the disease exists in the area. “That’s a lot of dead tortoises,” said Jim St. Amant, a California Department of Fish and Game biologist and tortoise expert. “That’s kind of scary that they found that many in such a relatively small area of desert.”