Featured Image: Desert Tortoise Reserve Saint George, UT. CREDIT: Utahcamera.  SOURCE: Wikipedia (I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. This applies worldwide).

Another case of “We’re from the government and we are here to help you”(tortoises). . . EDITOR

Image:Gopherus agassizii (Desert Tortoise) photographed in the Mojave desert. CREDIT: Tigerhawkv SOURCE: Wikipedia Commons. (This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license).

From Yahoo Finance By Hannah Dreier, Associated Press | Associated Press – 7 hours ago

Desert tortoise faces threat from its own refuge as BLM closes Vegas rescue center

LAS VEGAS (AP) — For decades, the vulnerable desert tortoise has led a sheltered existence.

Developers have taken pains to keep the animal safe. It’s been protected from meddlesome hikers by the threat of prison time. And wildlife officials have set the species up on a sprawling conservation reserve outside Las Vegas.

But the pampered desert dweller now faces a threat from the very people who have nurtured it. . . . Read Complete Report

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From youtube uploaded by usgs on Mar 8, 2013

The Heat is On: Desert Tortoises and Survival (Full video)