The Florida Panther still hanging on
With numbers only hovering around 200 cats, it is easy to see why every preventable Florida Panther death is a concern. The tragedy of it is, it’s not only humans that are to blame, it’s their cars. There were over a dozen pathers killed in car accidents in 2023—mostly young males.
Because numbers were very low in the 1990s, the Florida panther, (or Florida cougar, or Florida puma), had become inbred. Its habitat fragmented and shrunk by 95 percent. Thus, these cougars lost their genetic diversity because they were isolated in a small area. The Florida cougar is now subject to several genetic defects including heart and fertility problems as well as distinctive kinked tails.
There were thought to be only 30 left in the wild in the 1990s. So, to counteract this problem, eight female pumas from Texas. Fortunately, it was successful, and stopped the continuing downward spiral. Soon after, more than 20 kittens were documented as being born.
Not ten years later in 2007, charges were leveled against a scientist whose studies said it was acceptable to reduce Florida panther territories. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, David Maehr’s shoddily conducted work into Florida panther populations allowed developers to mow down thousands of acres set aside for the rebounding cougar population. His work was still being cited by Florida Fish and Game officials allowing developers to continue, even while David Maehr was being investigated.
Subsequently, Andrew Eller Jr. stated on the Union of Concerned Scientists website that, “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s policy contends that no development project in southwest Florida constitutes jeopardy for the panther; the agency is simply relying on science that they know has been discredited.”
Although fired from the USFWS, Eller was reinstated; while David Maehr was disgraced and forced to study other animals. Maehr died in a plane crash in Kentucky in 2008.
Panther Characteristics
Adult male Florida panthers weigh about 150 lbs (68 kg), while females are smaller at about 100 lbs (45.5 kg) or less. Panther kittens are usually born between March and July, and weigh just over a lb (about 0.5 kg) at birth. Babies stay with their mothers for 18 months to two years.
As an apex predator that keeps other animals healthy, as well as their numbers in check; it is good news that the number of white-tail deer in Florida had been reduced in 2022. Florida cougars also eat hares, mice, storks, raccoons, birds, wild pigs, and armadillos.
Conservation
11,500 acres including wetlands in central Florida called the Disney Wilderness Preserve help protect Florida panthers. As it is above areas formerly not populated by the pumas, (north of the Caloosahatchee River); it is valuable conservation land. While White Oaks Conservation Center is just south of the Florida-Georgia state line. And, the Panther Ridge Conservation Center is located in Loxahatchee Groves, Florida.
Naturalists are counting on the continued existence of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a patchwork of public open spaces and privately-owned ranches, to keep puma populations healthy. An underpass on Interstate 4 in Polk County is planned to allow wild animals to pass under the highway in safety.
March 16th is Save the Panther Day! Learn more about Florida Panthers
Sources
Once Nearly Extinct, The Florida Panther Is Making A Comeback. National Public Radio. (2021, May 23). National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/2021/05/23/999202593/once-nearly-extinct-the-florida-panther-is-making-a-comeback
Panther Biology. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: State of Florida. (2024). https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/panther/biology/
How America’s most endangered cat could help save Florida. National Geographic Society. (2021, March 9). https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/florida-panthers-return-imperiled-by-development-feature?loggedin=true
Florida panther. Wikipedia: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. (2024, February 1). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_panther
How the Texas puma saved the Florida panther: Uncovering the genetic details of a conservation success story ScienceDaily: Ohio State University. (2019, October 3). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191003111755.htm
Professor and pilot die in crash. Sarasota Herald Tribune. (2008, June 22). https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2008/06/22/professor-and-pilot-die-in-crash/28636887007/
Distorting Scientific Knowledge on Florida Panthers. Union of Concerned Scientists. (2002, February 18). https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/attacks-on-science/distorting-scientific-knowledge-florida-panthers
FDOT plans state’s first wildlife crossing overpass across I-4 in Polk County. Scripps Media, Inc. (2023, May 10). https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-polk/fdot-plans-states-first-wildlife-crossing-overpass-across-i-4-in-polk-county