Sahara wildlife survey

This video says about itself:

The African Spurred Tortoise (Geochelone sulcata) is a species of tortoise which inhabits the southern edge of the Sahara desert, in northern Africa. Their diet provides them with most of their water requirements, but they do drink. They coat their skin with mud when available to cool off. When mud wallows are not available, they retreat to cooler burrows. Spurred tortoises are important to deserts because their burrows provide shelter for other animals.

From Wildlife Extra:

Sahara wildlife survey

First steps towards conserving the wildlife of the Sahara

October 2008. Supported from HM the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the Morocco-based Emirates Centre for Wildlife Propagation (ECWP), Sahara Conservation Fund is running a ground-breaking initiative to identify and ad-dress the top conservation priorities across the entire Sahara.

The Pan-Saharan Wildlife Survey (PSWS) is a science-based initiative to assess, prioritize and fast-track conservation action with an underpinning philosophy of directly linking field-based research, data collection and analysis with concrete on-the-ground action.

Lack of data

Lack of up to date information and data is limiting the ability of Saharan nations to conserve desert fauna, access international support for conservation, prioritize action and deployment of available resources, and ensure sustainable use of wildlife. As reflected in the IUCN Red Data List (see table) there is also great urgency and a need to scale up action across the entire Sahelo-Saharan region. PSWS will also provide a wealth of up to date information on species abundance and distribution, conservation threats and habitat condition. This will contribute directly to national initiatives under the Conventions on Biological Diversity, Combating Desertification and Climate Change.

December 2010. An exotic African spurred tortoise weighing in excess of 100 pounds was discovered living in the Arizona Desert – it had been in the area long enough to establish two burrows, including one that was 9-feet deep: here.

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