Riverbanks partners with SCDNR in support of species conservation
January 17, 2017
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is working with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) to help safeguard the endangered gopher tortoise.
Riverbanks’ herpetologists are raising nearly 30 gopher tortoise hatchlings that are part of a survivorship and movement study being conducted by SCDNR. Once common throughout the coastal plain of the southeastern United States, this rare species is now in decline and found only in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.
The tortoises being reared at Riverbanks arrived at the Zoo in early December after the eggs collected from Aiken Gopher Tortoise Heritage Preserve (AGTHP) were hatched at the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Lab (SREL). The animals will live at Riverbanks for the next year.
SCDNR plans to track the tortoises’ movements with the use of radio transmitters once relocated back to the AGTHP—an important site where SCDNR and SREL staff have collaborated since 2006 to evaluate the use of waif tortoises (tortoises from unknown origins) to establish a viable population.
“Reproduction has been observed on the Preserve in the form of hatched nests, but very few hatchling or juvenile tortoises have been witnessed at the site,” said Will Dillman, herpetologist at South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
“By following hatchling and yearling tortoises with radio telemetry, we hope to better understand survival at this location and evaluate the use of waif tortoises as a conservation tool.”
Gopher tortoises are considered a keystone species—one of which other animals in an ecosystem largely depend. Gopher tortoises have the ability to dig burrows of up to 15 feet deep and 30 feet long that provide shelter for at least 360 other types of animals.
Like any other keystone species, declining populations have a damaging impact on the environment. Some of the greatest threats to the gopher tortoise are habitat loss/degradation and illegal collection. Gopher tortoises are protected in South Carolina and designated as a State Endangered Species.
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
For more than 40 years, Riverbanks Zoo and Garden has connected individuals, families and groups with the world’s wildlife and wild places. Riverbanks is a special purpose district governed by the Riverbanks Park Commission, which consists of seven members, two appointed by Richland County Council, two by Lexington County Council, two by the City of Columbia, and one jointly by the three entities. It is the mission of Riverbanks Zoo and Garden to foster appreciation and concern for all living things. Riverbanks Zoo is located at 500 Wildlife Parkway, Columbia, SC 29210. The Botanical Garden entrance is located at 1300 Botanical Parkway, West Columbia, SC 29169. The park is open daily from 9am to 5pm, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas day. Admission is $15.95 for adults, $13.50 for children ages 2 – 12 and free for children younger than 2. Group rates and other discounts may apply. Year-round membership packages are also available. For more information, call Riverbanks at 803.779.8717, visit www.riverbanks.org or www.facebook.com/riverbankszoo.
