Resident Tortoise

It’s a beautiful day here in the sand hills of Georgia. These are rare and precious days with the sky so blue and the sun shining so bright. I do believe fall weather has become my favorite.

I had a chance to see a couple of tortoises emerging from their burrows for a day of grazing. The older one has been here since before us and we’ve been here for 22 years. There are several young tortoise burrows around, most likely her offspring.

I was devastated one late night when we had been gone and returned home to find the power company had ravished the right of way where the older tortoise resides. In 22 years, she had not been disturbed. This time they had completely plowed over her burrow so that it was no longer visible. I was afraid they had killed her or that she had come back from grazing to find her burrow gone.

I didn’t see her for a couple weeks or more. I had read online that I could try to dig the burrow back out on the chance the tortoise was trapped. Tentatively and carefully I began digging, a little more each day. I wasn’t certain if I was even digging in the right place. I despaired when I just couldn’t seem to dig into the opening, then one magic day it happened. I opened up just a tiny corner that obviously led down into her burrow.

Over a course of days, I dug more out. Then I returned to attempt digging again to find that she had completely opened up her burrow herself and her tracks were prominent on the mound before the opening! It was still a day or two before I finally got to see her again, but that joyous day did arrive. Now she is back residing in her refreshed burrow and going about her daily business.

I did contact the power company and the company they contract with to do the clearing of the lines. I also contacted the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. I received very little interest or help from any of them. We had put up signs alerting to the presence of gopher tortoises on the right of way, but the signs had become weather beaten and either overlooked or ignored.