Wildlife Nation Exclusive Clip: Florida Gold

Join host Jeff Corwin in Central Florida as he helps rescue threatened gopher tortoises from new real estate developments. Florida's rapid growth, with 1,000 new residents daily, leads to habitat destruction. Alarmingly, older permits still allow developers to bury tortoises alive, along with the over 360 other species that rely on their burrows.

Gopher tortoises are vital "nature's engineers," digging extensive underground tunnels that provide essential shelter from weather, fires, and predators for countless creatures. Corwin, alongside experts from Defenders and Saving Florida's Gopher Tortoises, meticulously excavates these animals from development sites to prevent them from being entombed. Learn more about the wildlife featured in the episode at www.defenders.org/wildlifenation.