‘Blue’ Gopher Tortoise No Laughing Matter: State Wildlife Officials

MARTIN COUNTY, FL — Electric blue might be all the rage for teenage girls’ hair, but it’s never, ever OK to paint a gopher tortoise that color or any other. That’s the message the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is trying to share following a recent incident in Martin County.

According to FWC, two of its officers recently responded to a call about an injured gopher tortoise. When they arrived to investigate, they “encountered something very disturbing – a blue gopher tortoise,” the agency shared on Facebook.

It seems someone thought it would be a good idea to spray paint the threatened critter to give it a new look. FWC officials are firm in their assertion that gopher tortoises look better with their natural earthy coloration. In addition, doing anything to alter their color can harm the creatures and get people into hot water.

“It is both illegal and very harmful to the health of a gopher tortoise to paint any part of their body or shell,” FWC explained. “Paint can inhibit their ability to absorb vitamins from the sun’s UV rays through their shells, has the potential to cause respiratory problems and can lead to harmful chemicals being absorbed into their bloodstream.”

Complicating matters, it seems trying to get paint off a tortoise is no simple matter.

“Removing the paint without harming the tortoise is a challenge,” agency officials say.

In the Martin County case, the tortoise was taken to a local animal rehabilitation facility where workers were mostly successful in removing the paint.

“It recovered and was eventually released back into its burrow with a slight blue hue,” the agency noted.

Gopher tortoises are found throughout Florida, mainly living in upland habitats such as yards, pastures and forests, FWC’s website explains. These critters dig deep burrows in the ground and are known to share their homes with more than 350 different species, making them a keystone species.

Considering their importance to Florida’s ecosystems, gopher tortoises are protected under state law and so are their burrows. These tortoises must be relocated before any land clearing or development and property owners are required to obtain permits from the state before capturing and relocating them.

To find out more about gopher tortoises, visit FWC online. People who spot distressed, painted or injured gopher tortoises or other wildlife are asked to call the agency’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.

Photo and video courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission