There have been reports of gopher tortoises being run over, as well as burrowing owls being struck by cars in the evening hours. The Cape Coral Wildlife Trust urges motorists to slow down and watch for critters on the move.<\/p>\n
Cape Coral residents and a local wildlife advocate group have growing concerns about the number of wildlife being struck by cars in the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There have been multiple reports of gopher tortoise being run over, as well as burrowing owls being struck by cars in the evening hours when swooping low, near preservation lots purchased by the Cape Coral Wildlife Trust, as well as in the northwest part of the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Residents in the area say speeding cars have disregard for the species that inhabit these preservation lots, with messy results on pavement happening too frequently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen working at Northeast Juanita Place (a FWC lot),\u00a0several neighbors told me that motor bikes actually run through the conservation land, and they, too, are concerned about the tortoises,\u201d said CCWT spokesperson Jana Charvat.\u00a0\u201cOne neighbor said he had found two dead tortoises just recently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charvat added that she also found a dead tortoise that had been run over at another FWC lot last week at 503 N.E. 1st Ave., and provided photos of the tortoise in grass with a cracked shell.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have had several residents in the area stop and tell me how concerned they are about speeding cars,\u201d Charvat said.\u00a0\u201cThey care about the tortoises and owls that make this area their home. We are desperately\u00a0trying to save this species, as they are a keystone species that so much other wildlife rely on and they are threatened here in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tino Garcia lives along Northwest 6th Street, and said the roadways in his neighborhood at times resemble a high-speed rack track, a-la the Daytona 500.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the short period of time that I\u2019ve been here, I\u2019ve seen three of the tortoises get squished, and I just a few weeks ago, I saw one owl,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cAnd the owl was actually dead right on the edge of my yard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garcia said he takes his dog for a morning jog nearly every day, and that he sees a lot of cars speeding in the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople just zoom across,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we have young kids on ATVs that don\u2019t even have a license plate on it, and they just come buzzing across. We also have people that just race across interceptions trying to avoid a four-way stop sign in the area, so they take our road and come across.\u201d<\/p>\n
His concern spans from wildlife, to children that play in the area and also walk to school or wait for the bus. He\u2019s also concerned about how seeing a beloved animal, such as a burrowing owl or gopher tortoise, squished on the side of the road could impact a child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Speaking to the burrowing owl in front of his home, Garcia said, \u201cI went with my shovel. I went and picked it up and put it, you know, it was out in the open area. Kids walk around all the time because they want to see the gopher tortoises walking around, they want to see the owls. I don\u2019t want to see a young impressionable 4-, 5-, 6-year-old, you know, come around and see that dead squished animal, there with its guts out all this kind of stuff there in the middle of the road.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garcia said maybe there could be additional stop signs places in the area, or higher traffic enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOr you know, that piece of equipment that says, \u2018hey, this is your speed,\u2019 it kind of alerts people,\u201d Garcia added. \u201cThe citizens of Cape Coral are concerned about traffic and about people speeding and about traffic enforcement in general. Red lights seem to be a suggestion, not a rule.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garcia said cars speeding throughout neighborhoods should not come at the cost of the lives of animals that call Cape Coral hope.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCape Coral is unique that it has these species here,\u201d he said. \u201cYou know, residents want to help be part of conservation rather than be worried about getting from point A to B faster. That\u2019s indisputable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tortoises are slow. At times, I do see concerned drivers stop. Turtles just hide in their shell, thinking they\u2019re going to be protected, but if they\u2019re not. And so that\u2019s the problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They\u2019re just very slow to react, they hide in their shell, and if somebody\u2019s not minding or paying attention, or they\u2019re driving too fast to avoid them, then there goes the animal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cape Coral Wildlife Trust has purchased nearly 100 lots to help preserve wildlife. The organization was formed to acquire land for education, research, and for the preservation of Cape Coral\u2019s indigenous wildlife. This includes burrowing owls, gopher tortoises, and more.<\/p>\n
For more information about the CCWT, visit capecoralwildlifetrust.org<\/a>. <\/p>\n