The endangered Florida panther population has taken a big hit. In 2014, 30 of these elusive felines, listed as an endangered species for more than 40 years, have died, the majority of which met their fates on highways in three southwest Florida counties: Collier, Lee and Hendry.
Four of the deaths occurred near the Big Cypress National Preserve, and more than a third of the deaths were females of kitten-bearing age. The 30 dead cats represents a 50 percent increase from 2013, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, and exceeds the previous record of 27 deaths counted in 2012.
While the panther once roamed much of the eastern United States, it is now confined to just a small area in southwest Florida, 5 percent of its original range. This year's number of fatalities may represent up to a quarter of the entire panther population, though exact counts are difficult to obtain because the use of radio tracking has declined. Only seven of the dead panthers this past year were wearing radio collars.
According to PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, "The management of the Florida panther is biology by body count.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recorded 32 kittens born this year, but their survival rate is low. The population is in decline and long-term recovery seems bleak, according to PEER. The reduction in genetic diversity has also affected these cats.
PEER points to Florida's new, sprawling development in panther country, and an increase in off-road vehicle traffic, specifically in the Big Cypress National Preserve Addition Lands, as contributors to the high fatality count. And, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has not designated critical habitat for the animal. From 1984 to 2009, the agency approved 127 developments that could affect habitat, according to PEER.
"In south Florida, the panther literally is a speed bump to sprawling development,” Ruch said. “Many believe we have already reached the tipping point where a viable population of Florida panther can no longer exist in the wild and the future of this alpha-predator is as a zoo species.”
Comments
So Frank-- whats your answer to this-- just let them disappear from Florida since they live out West??
I'm confused what the scam is, who specifically [other than unnamed "educated ones"] created or profit by said scam, and stuff like that. Drop the black helicopter conspiracy theory wording and make your case.
No, but control the population well below the natural carrying capacity of the public land available for them so that they are not forced to forage where they conflict with people that own private property.
Believe it or not many species of mammals (racoons, armadillos, rabbits otters etc.) that were common many years ago are rare to very rarely seen these days in core panther habitat (e.g. Big Cypress, Picayune, Panther refuge, Fakahatchee Strand) definetley partly because of panthers but they are only one of many unchecked predator populations adding to the negative impacts of havfing too much of a good thing.
I am only honestly reporting what myself and many others who have explored Fla's. swamps are experiencing for the last 10 years when out in the wilds down here.
The ESA facilitated the initial restoration effort for the cat. The at some point I bought and read a book titled "Swamp Screamer" authored by Charles Fergus to try and learn more about what was happening regarding the cat. Well, on pg 117 a cat researcher/veternarian named Melody Roellke with the Fl Game Commission acknowledges that her and another person Stephen Obrien discovered that the Fla cat was far from a pure "so called Florida Panther" and because of that wasn't entitled to ESA protection or funding. Basically outside cats were bought by NPS from the Piper roadside zoo facility brought into South Fla by NPS and let loose due to them wanting more cats in Eglds Nat Park. The loosed cats got much farther from the park than people anticipated and bred with many others as they hybridized the remaining remnants of Fla's. "so called Florida Panther " that looks just like all the others around the world. The poor public is sadly very gullible and has way too much respect for so called science being cranked out by financially motivated folks. Then Ms Roellke admits they will use cover words like "heretical genes" ragarding the cat's lineage from then on. Thus the panther gravy train was created IMHO which financially benefits agency staff with jobs and paychecks for life, environmental groups with a good fundraising marketing tool , departments of transportation to employ folks to research underpass locations, the construction industry to build them whether they will work or not and the money tree I am sure bears green fruit for many others. Oh yes, it's a great scam that too few folks understand due to the amount of effort one must put forth to do so.
Frank, with all due respect, from reading that screed it appears that just about everybody but you is in on the scam.
The book "Swamp Screamer", by the way - was that an official state or federal document or proclamation?
If someone is looking for in depth 'history' of the Florida Panther in relation to what is written above, here is some reading:
https://books.google.com/books?id=KGM__PqYIzcC&lpg=PA64&ots=0_NOR4LYYy&d...
While the chapter also has an agenda of sorts (saving the panther), it explains the inbreeding and subsequent need for outside DNA to save the panther. It was never a nefarious plot to fool the american people; it was an attempt to save a species. It seems to have worked...
I worked in the Everglades for three years in the 80's when the panther population was teetering on the brink of extinction. One of the biggest thrills of my life was to finally see one in the wild. Think of it--3 years in the park and one sighting.
I don't have much sympathy for those who claim that there are too many panthers or that the ones who exist are not genetically pure. Nor do I feel badly that hunters in the Big Cypress don't have enough deer to shoot. As pointed out above, water levels probably have a bigger effect on deer populations than do panthers.
Anyone who claims that it is a scam to try to keep the panthers from extinction is pretty cold hearted in my opinion.
Rick
Heck NO it wasn't a government produced book. It was written by an outsider (Thank God - for some honesty) that interviewed everyone he quoted and went to panther country with. When I read the book I had questions as to it's accuracy. I hunted down the author's phone number w/o a computer - actualy I had a detective I know track him. I also called him to ask a simple question - "Did you take artistic license with the info in the book". He got somewhat upset at my inference and was very clear to tell me he had notes and tape recordings to back up everything in the book. He was no flunky as some here might assume just because he wasn't part of the government. In fact here is the phone number I was given for him although I was given it years ago - 1 814 692 5097 - address - 895 E Mountain Rd, Port Matilda Pa 00016. OBTW I have never used the address since I called him to verify his accuracy protocol.
Government agency folks I know all tried to discredit the author to me saying he was full of bull and didn't know anything. Isn't that just typical of folks being outed for a scam government or not.
This scam has been going on for so long (more than a generation) some younger participants may be well meaning/intentioned but ignorant of what was done to get to where they are today with too many of the pests. Now at a reasonable population they are just another animal but at today's level they are mainly a pest that is eating it's way thru all Florida's mammals along with all the other uncontrolled predators and on top of that attacking people now routinely which Florida's agencies refuse to deal in a meaningful rapid manner.