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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The unassuming and little-known Mojave desert tortoise is among the most well-funded land-going animals on the endangered species list.
An Associated Press analysis of the last 11 years of available data shows that between 1996 and 2006, more than $93 million was spent by state and federal agencies trying to keep the tortoise from the brink of extinction.
The tortoise, whose critical habitat includes parts of Utah, California, Arizona and Nevada, is susceptible to a slew of threats, including highways, wildfires and disease.
Annual species-by-species expenditure reports are an attempt to calculate how much states and federal agencies spend for threatened and endangered species.
Salmon in the Pacific Northwest and the Steller sea lion have been by far the top recipients of money since reporting began in 1996, but the tortoise is among the best-funded land-going animals.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
