"For the preserve, now, we came up with an estimate of about 10,000 tortoises, but boy, that's way below what it's been historically. Back in the 1970s, we had an estimate of maybe 200 to 250 roughly per square mile. Today, it's more like three."
"The primary reason the preserve is spending more than $1 million to install 'tortoise fencing' - 2-foot-tall metal barriers to prevent the tortoises from trying to cross the park's busiest roads."
"The drastic drop in desert tortoise numbers is part of the reason the preserve is undertaking the fencing project. They were added to the Endangered Species List in 1990 and are currently listed as 'threatened'."
"The preserve plans to install additional fencing in early 2025, eventually installing another 50 to 60 miles along the park's heaviest-used roads, through what Darby calls 'prime tortoise habitat.'"
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