Gopher Tortoise Alliance

08/31/2026

08/25/2026

BOLO alert!

Have you seen this gopher tortoise? She has two AirTags on her. She was rehabbed and released back to her area in Micco back in March and recently was seemingly relocated to the shooting range road in Sebastian (102nd Terrace). We made an exhaustive effort to locate her the moment we discovered she had been moved. We were unsuccessful in our efforts. We are sure someone had good intentions but we would really like to solve the mystery of why someone moved her so far from her home. If you have seen or have any info about this tortoise, please contact Gopher Tortoise Alliance at 772-228-1492.

As a reminder gopher tortoises have a homing instinct and moving them could be detrimental to the animal.

08/23/2026

Tommy Jr was found in a neighbors pool. One of our awesome followers was contacted and she knew exactly who to reach out to for help. These kids did a great job keeping Tommy Jr contained and safe until one of our volunteers could pick him up for evaluation. While typically you could just rinse with fresh water and release, we decided to take extra precautions to make sure Tommy Jr didn’t aspirate any pool water during his pool party. He will be observed for a few days and if all checks out he will be released back. We are grateful for these kids that cared enough to help this guy and keep him safe until help arrived. Teaching the kids of today to care makes the biggest impact in educating future generations about these incredible animals.

08/21/2026

Join us for the International Coastal Clean Up at Turtle Trail Beach Access! While beach clean ups are primarily to help protect marine life, we cannot forget that the gopher tortoise loves a beach front home too. Gopher tortoises are regularly found living in the sandy beach dunes along our coastal waters.
Registration is free!
Come clean with us!
Parking is limited so please carpool if you can.

https://coastal-connections.salsalabs.org/icc2026irc/index.html

08/13/2026

Within 24 hour we received 4 calls about gopher tortoises that were hit by cars. 2 of which were still alive with horrific injuries. 2 tortoises were already gone, 1 tortoise needed help to end its suffering and 1 was brought into care for treatment. We hope the one in our care will pull through. In 24 hours we lost 3 breeding adults from the wild. All fatalities that were 100% preventable. Gopher tortoises do not dart out in front of your car like other wildlife. Vehicle strikes are one of the top injuries we see coming into rehab. Please take time to slow down if you see a tortoise in the road. Safely stop your car and help it cross in the direction it was going. If you hit one on accident always stop and call for help. On hot days check under your car for gopher tortoises looking for shade to cool off on their travels. Gopher tortoises have a slow metabolism and will die slowly on the side of the road even if you think they are dead they may not be. Please always stop and call for help! Amanda Ebenhack Central Florida Wildlife Center Inc.

08/08/2026

New patient Speedy is trying to show us he can do all the important tortoise things!

08/06/2026

Caption this!
Tell us what our ambassador tortoise, Trip may be yelling about!

08/05/2026

This young gopher tortoise came to us after someone unknowingly took it in after finding it on their property. They thought it was a baby from their pet sulcata tortoises. It was missing an eye as well. After caring for it for a few weeks they realized it didn’t act like a sulcata and looked a little different. They reached out to us and we confirmed it was a gopher tortoise so we brought it in for care. We evaluated this little one and watched it closely for a short period to make sure it was capable of doing everything a gopher tortoise needs to do to survive in the wild. While yes it is missing an eye this didn’t stop Odin from foraging, having a natural fear of humans or being able to dig around. We are confident Odin will do just fine and thrive in the wild where he belongs. As a reminder gopher tortoises are a protected species and it is illegal to keep one as a pet. Look out soon for an informative video about comparing the sulcata tortoise (which are commonly kept as pets) to our native gopher tortoise. Central Florida Wildlife Center Inc. Amanda Ebenhack

08/01/2026

Come see us at Treasure Coast Animal Rehab & Fitness today until 1pm

08/01/2026

Come see us and meet Trip our tripod educational ambassador today from 10aam-1pm at Treasure Coast Animal Rehab & Fitness

Join us for Tripod Pride: Amputee August Open House at Treasure Coast Animal Rehab & Fitness!

Meet inspiring tripod pets, watch rehabilitation in action, connect with local nonprofits, enjoy family-friendly activities, raffles, demonstrations, and discover how rehab helps pets of all ages stay active and happy.

📅 Saturday | 10 AM–1 PM
📍 825 18th Street, Vero Beach

Everyone is welcome—whether your dog has 3 legs, 4 legs, or you're simply an animal lover!