Habitat destruction has also played a role in preventing the panther population from growing further. Scroll to continue reading. Even with the relatively small numbers of panthers left in wild Florida, owners of livestock in the southern part of the state have to frequently deal with issues of panther predation. He even went on to describe panthers having begun drifting into residential communities, as an effect of gradual habitat loss in the area. Along with the bobcat, the Florida panther is one of the only wild cat species in the eastern United States.
While breeding populations are exclusively limited to the southwest part of the state, male panthers in search of their own territory are not uncommonly sighted throughout the state and even occasionally into Georgia.
In this article: animals , conservation , fish and wildlife , florida fish and wildlife , florida panther , nature , panthers Written By Chris Gollon Chris Gollon is a Flagler County resident since , as well as a staple of the local independent music scene and avid observer of Central Florida politics, arts, and recreation.
They are great animals to look at from a safe distance. This past Dec. I had the pleasure of seeing one of these walking down the middle of my street in the R section. They eat other animals they can stalk and capture, like white-tailed deer and wild hogs, but smaller mammals such as raccoons, armadillos and rabbits are also on the menu.
Florida panthers occur in the peninsula of Florida, primarily south of Orlando. Female panthers have been documented only in South Florida, which is where all known breeding occurs. Florida panthers prefer a dense understory of vegetation where they can hunt their prey, rest and provide dens for their cubs.
They prefer forested areas, pinelands, tropical hardwood hammocks and mixed freshwater swamp forests. Seeing a Florida panther is a memorable experience. Visitors might see a Florida panther at one of these state parks. Some visitors are lucky enough to see fresh panther tracks or one of the big cats at a distance. The Endangered Species Preservation Act, and the Endangered Species Act that followed, threw them a lifeline — animals like grizzly bears in Montana or gray wolves in Wisconsin.
Floridians love panthers. In , school children voted the panther the state animal, picking it over the diminutive Key deer and the fat but lovable manatee. That was also the year that Thomas Trotta, an engineer from Miami, saw his first panther, in Everglades National Park.
I know how to keep my eyes at a distance. It scared him, but not for long. The panther is a subspecies of mountain lion, an animal that once ranged across North America and survives in the thousands out West. Panthers roamed the whole Southeast, but by the middle of the 20th century hunting and habitat loss had reduced them to a tiny remnant in the Everglades. In , they were among the first endangered animals to receive federal protection.
By then the problem was more than low numbers. Inbreeding had weakened the population and inhibited reproduction. The panthers had grown gaunt; their tails were crooked. In biologists released eight Texas pumas, close cousins to the panther, in South Florida in an effort to introduce genetic diversity into the panther population. It worked. A broader gene pool has bought time, but it has not guaranteed recovery. The U. Fish and Wildlife Service says panthers may be taken off the endangered species list only when three different populations are established.
The idea is that distinct but connected populations will ensure enough genetic diversity to enable the panthers to survive indefinitely. The only breeding population of panthers is in South Florida. Biologists have identified areas in northern Florida and neighboring states large enough to support other populations. But reintroducing a major predator is contentious, and there is no plan to do it with panthers. Young males often wander far in search of new territory — Florida panthers have been found in Georgia.
This has raised hopes that the panthers may be dispersing on their own. Benitez works on the Tiger Lake Ranch, just south of Orlando. One morning two summers ago, he went out to turn off an irrigation pump in a small orange grove.
As he walked down a sandy track, Mr. Benitez saw a long-tailed cat in the distance. Sometimes people mistake bobcats for panthers, but the tail gave it away. The panther disappeared into the brush. Another followed, bounding across the track. These not only suggest that panthers are moving north, but also demonstrate the importance of ranchland to their long-term recovery. The many landscapes of the Tiger Lake Ranch tell why.
A Florida ranch is not the grassy vista of the Western imagination but usually a mix of open space, trees, and underbrush. There are pastures but also cypress groves, oak hammocks, and pine flatwoods. On the shore of Tiger Lake, cows crowd into a thicket of live oaks, seeking relief from the hot sun. A half-mile away, they graze among scattered pines and clumps of palmetto palm. The trunks of the pines are charred, the ground gray with ash.
Ranch hands burned the area recently to control underbrush and encourage new grass. Not all ranchers welcome panthers — they also kill calves — but many want ranchland preserved and are glad to join forces with conservationists.
With his white cowboy hat, wide mustache, and craggy features, Mr. Lightsey looks every inch a rancher. His forebears brought cattle to Florida in the 19th century, after the U. Army forced the Seminoles out of northern Florida and into the Everglades.
One way ranchers like Mr. Lightsey protect their land is by selling easements that allow them to continue ranching but bar development. The Lightsey Cattle Co. Lightsey says he welcomes panthers. Other ranchers are less enthusiastic.
In panther country farther south, calf kills have become a real problem. As they develop, the spots fade away and they look more and more like adult panthers. The kittens stay with their mother for about a year and a half before they leave to form their own territories. Florida panthers live about 12 years in the wild, but with such a small population of Florida panthers left, they are very susceptible to disease, genetic disorders, and car accidents.
The Florida panther is the only subspecies of mountain lion that remains in the eastern United States.
Hunting decimated the population badly, and it was one of the first species added to the U. The Florida panther's current status is listed as endangered. Today there are only to Florida panthers left in the wild. The subspecies is so critically endangered that it is vulnerable to just about every major threat. Because the population is so small, low genetic diversity is a concern.
In addition, construction causes habitat loss , and roads and highways pose a danger to panthers attempting to cross. The cats are also faced with mercury pollution and diseases such as feline leukemia. A general fear and misunderstanding of Florida panthers prevents reintroductions to new areas.
They purr, hiss, snarl, growl, and yowl to communicate. A groundbreaking bipartisan bill aims to address the looming wildlife crisis before it's too late, while creating sorely needed jobs. More than one-third of U.
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