The Problem with Saving the Florida Panther: It's in Florida

There was a time when the piercing scream of the panther could be heard throughout all of North America. In the southeastern United States, hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of the big, tawny cats roamed freely throughout the hardwood hammocks, pine flatlands and swamp forests from Texas to the Atlantic and from the Everglades to South Carolina.

But today, there are fewer than 100 panthers in Florida. They have been on the federal endangered species list since 1967 and on the state's endangered list since 1973. And they are located exclusively in the southwestern part of the state. Darrell Land, panther section leader with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said, "No credible evidence exists for any other populations. Collisions with vehicles would be occurring if indeed there were undetected populations."

From nonprofit groups dedicated to saving the predator, to the Florida license plate bearing a panther's image, to the professional Florida ice hockey sports team and Florida International University college teams, the Florida panther seems to be a species with a great deal of popularity and clout. Yet what it needs most to survive right now is land.

How Panther Numbers Plummeted

What caused the panther to become nearly extinct? Many factors have threatened the panther: man-made contaminants, vehicle collisions, scarcity of prey and immune problems.

Land said it is difficult to say how many panthers there were when the animals were in their prime, but "if you consider that the range extended to South Carolina and Arkansas, they must have been in the thousands," he explained.

The first threat to panther existence was likely hunting. Native Americans hunted the panther for its skin, teeth and claws. Then early settlers aggressively hunted the cat to eliminate its threat to livestock. From the 1800s until the 1950s, the state of Florida paid a bounty for Florida panther pelts. That's when panther ranks dwindled.

The resulting small isolated population led to inbreeding and some genetic problems, including infertility and heart murmurs in kittens. In 1995, 8 female Texas cougars -- the closest remaining cougar population that had shared Florida panther range -- were introduced into the Florida panther population to help increase gene diversity.

But habitat loss is by far the most significant impact to the health and well-being of the Florida panther. The panther needs large areas with an adequate number of prey. Florida -- and particularly southern Florida -- has seen increased mining, farming, ranching and lumbering in addition to the influx of people.

"Today, direct persecution is practically non-existent," Land said. "White-tailed deer numbers are perhaps greater than ever, but habitat loss continues, and the former ‘panther' landscape has been fragmented severely by an immense spider web of highways and urbanization."

Panther Habitat

Panthers need large habitats to survive. A male needs some 200 square miles; a female, 75 square miles. Areas of that size are dwindling in a state where the human population grows significantly each year.

"Most panthers are found south of Lake Okeechobee," Land explained, "with occasional cats that wander as far north as Orlando. This area was the last to be settled because the terrain was so harsh. It is no coincidence that the Seminole Indians retreated to the same area to evade the new settlers."

If they had their choice, panthers would live in areas with hardwood hammocks, pine flatwoods and mixed swamp forests. This type of area gives them cover and is close to the large prey they prefer to hunt.

"Panthers are found in Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest, Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed and other public lands in south Florida," Land said. "Given the secretive and primarily nocturnal habits of the panthers, the chances of seeing one in the wild is very remote," Land explained.

There is also the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, 20 miles east of Naples, which was established on 24,600 acres in 1989. The refuge, which is closed to the public, is used by 5 to 11 panthers that den, hunt and travel it in a given month. The refuge provides optimum habitat conditions for the Florida panther and other endangered species. It has concentrations of water birds, wading birds (including wood storks) and rare tropical orchids. Public access has rarely been allowed because it would disturb the panther and their prey.

"The panther population cannot grow much larger than it is today in south Florida because all available habitat is at capacity," Land said. However, Land said he doesn't think the population is in eminent danger of extinction. "Whenever a population is this small, the threat of extinction exists; however, all of our work suggests that panthers should persist for the next 100 years if no drastic habitat loss occurs."

The Panther's Future

Some elements are already in place for those next 100 years. Saving Florida panthers from extinction will require efforts on a number of fronts: habitat preservation, genetic restoration and reintroduction of captive-bred panthers to the wild.

Building passes under highways -- especially under the east/west stretch of I-75 known as Alligator Alley -- where panthers have been most often killed has helped. Since 1972, 44 Florida panthers have been killed by collisions with vehicles. Since wildlife crossings and right-of-way fencing have been installed along more than 40 miles of roadways that cross public lands, no more panthers have been killed in these areas.

Studying the panther is another means of preservation, but it's difficult. Their numbers are small, and they are elusive. Often, a veterinarian and a trained tracker use dogs to locate and tree a panther. If the animal appears in good heath, it is tranquilized and carefully lowered to the ground using safety nets and catch bags as a precaution against injury. The animal's vital statistics are then recorded, a tracking collar is attached, and blood, feces, urine and skin samples are collected. The cat also may be immunized and given vitamins.

Genetic restoration efforts -- like introducing the genetically diverse Texas cougars into wild and captive populations and reintroducing captive-bred panthers into the wild -- are an important part of the plan to help protect the species.

And of course, there is the need for room to roam. Habitat must be preserved and managed to ensure there is adequate land and prey to support the existing and future Florida panthers.

Citizens can help these efforts by purchasing panther license plates in Florida and by contacting elected officials to voice support for panther preservation programs. The license plates generate more than $1 million dollars a year and pay for the state's panther research and recovery programs.

Land adds that if people want to help protect and save the panther, they need to "support programs that protect panther habitat and stay informed on issues, contact legislators and let them know that there is citizen support for programs to help panthers."

Basic Florida Panther Facts

The Florida panther is a large, muscular, tawny-colored cat (Felis concolor coryi) related to the mountain lion of the Rockies and the cougar or puma of the Pacific Northwest. Another relative, the eastern cougar once found in the eastern United States and Canada, is now extinct, although some people have gathered in groups to provide proof of its existence and therefore the need for its protection.

The Florida cat is darker-colored than the other subspecies and has longer legs and smaller feet. It also weighs less: Males are about 7 feet long and weigh 100 to 150 pounds; females are about 6 feet long and weigh about 65 to 100 pounds. The Florida subspecies is further defined by a broad, flat nose; short, stiff hair; a swirl of hair in the middle of its back and a right-angled crook at the end if its tail due to an abnormality in its last 3 tail vertebrae as a result of inbreeding. The panther’s long, sweeping tail is almost 2/3 of its body length. It has short, round ears with patches of dark hair on the tips of its tail, the back of its ears and parts of the face. Male and female look alike except for size.

Panthers begin mating when the male is about 3 and the female about 2 years old. Females usually mate every other year between November and March. Gestation is about 3 months, and litters usually contain 1 or 2 kittens, sometimes 3. The cubs are born in dense vegetation and stay there until they are weaned, about 2 months later. They begin eating meat at about 6 weeks. Kittens are spotted until they are about a year old and have deep blue eyes that change to a yellow-brown as adults.

When grown, panthers are lean, mean hunting machines. They have powerful jaws and teeth adapted to help them hunt large prey. They can move stealthily and, like most cats, walk with claws retracted. Panther prey includes white-tailed deer, feral hogs, raccoons, armadillos, rabbits, rats, birds, small alligators, small rodents and fowl. Deer and hogs are the preferred prey and may be hunted every 7 to 10 days and consumed over a few days. When these are in short supply, panthers hunt the smaller animals. Panthers that feed on large prey are generally healthier and weigh more. An adult panther needs 35 to 50 deer-sized animals a year. Females with young may need twice that number. It would take 10 raccoons to equal a deer.

Panthers are solitary animals and tend to avoid others, although mating pairs and siblings stay together for a time. Females with kittens avoid males due to the threat they provide to the young.

Panthers are most active at dusk and dawn, often resting during the day, and traveling and hunting during the cooler night.

Panthers can swim and cross wide bodies of water. They can run up to 35 mph, but only for a few hundred yards. They hunt by creeping up on their prey and springing to attack. Panthers do become used to man-made noises and frequently cross roads. They are attracted to woodland fires and may stay near burned sites for days as deer and other prey are drawn to new vegetation growing out of the ash.

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