MIAMI -- Gopher tortoises are made for digging burrows. Their front feet are shovel-like, their back limbs elephantine and perfect for bracing. Fatally, however, they cannot pierce asphalt and concrete.
Over the past 16 years, thousands of the animals have essentially been buried alive by Florida developers who were given permits under a little-noticed state program to build on top of the creatures' subterranean homes.
"Protected" or not, how much are you willing to bet the first time a developer is impeded from developing land because of a tortoise, a little money will exchange hands and suddenly the tortoise isn't such a big issue? Just watch.
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