An island of misfit tortoises: evaluating the use of waif animals to recover populations on the brink

The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is declining throughout its range and is among the most commonly translocated reptile species. While some risk is inherent with any translocation, waif tortoisesanimals that were collected illegally or have unknown originsare generally excluded from translocations due to concerns associated with the health and post-release survival of these individuals. However, waif tortoises could provide the needed numbers to stabilize populations. In 1993, a small isolated population of gopher tortoises (n 10) was discovered near Aiken, South Carolina. Since 2006, over 260 waifs were released at the preserve to augment the population. I assessed the annual apparent survival of the waif tortoises and conducted health screenings. The estimated annual apparent survival of tortoises was high (>0.91) for adult and subadult tortoises. We detected two common tortoise pathogens, but overall, the individuals appeared healthy. Survival rates and health profiles were comparable to wild gopher tortoise populations.