Don’t neglect desert tortoise

Susan Fong and family, Las Vegas

Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013 | 2:02 a.m.

I implore our Clark County commissioners to refrain from reducing funding for conservation of the desert tortoise and other animals as well as plants.

The Desert Tortoise Conservation Center in Las Vegas must close due to inadequate funding, and many of the tortoises there will be euthanized.

Only $16 million over 12 years has been spent on conservation. This is a drop in the bucket compared with other government expenditures.

As a native Las Vegan born here in 1957, I remember when tortoises, toads, lizards and other animals were regularly found in the city. Now, you rarely if ever see them because development has destroyed much of these animals’ natural habitat.

County commissioners, please do not make conditions even harder for wildlife’s survival by cutting funding for conservation. Tortoises and other animals and plants were here long before man. They deserve to live. Adequate funding makes this possible.