It cost the Army $11,125 to move this tortoise 10 miles

Think of the things you could do with $8.5 million dollars, from buying several Ferrari sports cars to starting foundations to tackle issues such as cancer or poverty. But you might not know that it is the same amount of money the US Army is paying to move 764 tortoises 10 miles south of their previous home. That’s only just over $11,125 per tortoise. Are they flying first class… for 10 miles?

The Army’s $8.5 million contract is paying for the movement of 764 tortoises from their future training ground at Ford Irwin. These tortoises are all tagged and monitored, transported to their new homes by helicopter in “FAA-approved” plastic bins and are strategically released into the wild. These desert tortoises are endangered, and the move/study provides scientists with more opportunities to study and understand the tortoises.

This is only the second year of a five-year effort to “relocate, conserve and study the animals.” According to Kirsten Berry, a wildlife biologist from the USGS, this might be one of the largest tortoise relocation efforts attempted in history. We were a little surprised to learn that other tortoise relocation efforts even existed! Some wildlife groups are up in arms because of the move, but their efforts to stop the Army have proved futile.

Obviously the Army could not just march the tortoises down to their new home 10 miles south, because that would have taken a long time. Still, $11,125 per tortoise is a pretty steep price to pay.

[Source]

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

• 911 call: “Help me! My tortoise is stuck under a lawn chair!”
• Louisiana prison has a 400-pound black bear for extra security
• Lost parrot tells vet his name and address
• “Osama bin Laden” (the elephant) killed in India