By Amber Prinkey
This year’s World Wildlife Day on March 3rd seeks to draw attention to the conservation status of our endangered species. Did you know Florida has over 130 threatened and endangered species? Let’s take a closer look but first some definitions:
Endangered means the species is seriously at risk of extinction.
Threatened means the species is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future.
Vulnerable means the species is susceptible to endangerment.
Here are some of our resident animals (some native, some not) that you may not have realized are in trouble:
Critically Endangered
Sinbad, Fred, and Alice: Yellow Naped Amazons – Due to habitat loss and the pet trade
Endangered
Bubba: African Spurred Tortoise – Due to habitat loss and climate change
Vulnerable
Chip and friends: Box Turtles – Due to habitat loss and the pet trade
Bumper: Greek Tortoise – Due to habitat loss and the pet trade
Carlos: Yellow Footed Tortoise – Due to habitat loss and over-hunting for food
State Designated Threatened
Drumstick and friends: Gopher Tortoises – Due to habitat loss
Spike: Burrowing Owl – Due to habitat loss
Federally Designated Threatened due to similarity of appearance
Wally: American Alligator – Similar appearance to American Crocodiles
Many of these animals came to us because people no longer wanted them as pets. Please help by doing your research and making absolutely sure you are able to take care of the animal for its entire life before committing to it as a pet. You are always welcome to stop by and see these animals at our center!
For more information about World Wildlife Day, go to their website at https://wildlifeday.org/
Our newest Gopher Tortoise who was kept illegally as a pet.