Page 60 - 2008 DT 12 issues

An Exemplary Life were formed in 1996, because desert people, but when he’d had enough, he
tortoises were disappearing from their would retreat back into his burrow for
by Barbara Wolin
dwindling wild desert homelands, a nap. There were two burrows now,
e had a way about him. A victims of relentless development. one on higher ground, because one
gentle and intelligent crea- The volunteers, lead by Carol Snyder had been flooded in a storm. He still
Hture, he understood that the since 2001, have contributed over preferred his old, smaller one. (Desert
volunteers who tidied his enclosure 8,500 hours in that 12-year period. tortoises dig the burrows in which they
and that of the females—cleaning up They weigh all the torts twice a year
burro droppings, wind-blown debris and document all of their activities.
and his own leavings—were there to They also keep Chucky and Thumper,
ensure his well-being. You could tell our resident Chuckwalla and Desert
by the way he ambled out of his bur- Iguana, fat and happy. Carol makes
sure that all the monitoring standards
are met.
On July 10, a group
of 30 people assembled
at the Visitor Center for a
memorial to our Max, who
had passed away a few
days before June 30. His
friends, tenders and admir-
ers shared stories of their
experiences with him, pay-
ing tribute to his friendly
and appreciative nature. Dan Wray talking with visitors
More than 50,000 visi-
tors a year learned about the live.) When the water came on, Max
desert tortoise from the tort really enjoyed taking a shower. This
volunteers. Dan and Vera was a well-loved animal who gave
Wray had been caring for back the love bestowed upon him. It
Max for 14 years, feeding was evident in the tears Dan and Vera
him desert wild flowers and attempted to stifle.
Perhaps it was old age that claimed
cactus fruits, his favorite our Mojave Max, the icon of the Clark
foods. They gave talks at County Desert Tortoise Conservation
the habitat several days Program. The construction noise and
a week, because the torts dust must have been unnerving, too.
row and greeted them with a “smile.” were a prime visitor attraction. As they Stacy Irwin, director of the tortoise
These dedicated people, 18 of them stood outside the low wall of his en- conservation program, said it was
who scheduled themselves to regu- closure with a crowd gathered around, thought that he had hatched from his
larly feed, water, maintain and pro- they would call to Max and out of his egg in 1945, but no one can really know
vide loving care to Mojave Max and burrow he would come, ready to greet for sure. He was the original Mojave
his “ladies” at the Red Rock Canyon his audience. He would even come to Max. There has never been another.
tortoise enclosure, were making sure the wall and stand on his hind legs to There was no doubt that he missed
that his kind would not perish. give them a better look. his “ladies,” the female tortoises that
The Tortoise Habitat volunteers Vera told that Max really liked had resided in the adjacent habitat

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