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Sunday, May 23, 2004
Big cat’s biggest needs — land, money
By DINAH VOYLES PULVER
NEWS-JOURNAL ENVIRONMENT WRITER
Panthers need lots of land to thrive. A male panther’s territory may include 200 square miles.
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Did You Know? The panther was chosen in 1982 by a vote of students throughout the state to be Florida's State Animal. An “endangered” species is one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. Around 65 percent of Florida panther and Florida black bear deaths are related to highway accidents. SOURCE: State of Florida |
In total, more than one million acres of panther habitat has been protected in South Florida, said Darrell Land of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. He gives a lot of credit to the Florida Forever program.
“We’ve spent a good chunk of that money buying up big tracts of land that are occupied by panthers,” Land said.
“It’s a question of real estate, real estate, real estate and whether Floridians can carve out enough of the existing landscape to allow big critters to live.”
The state has bought outright or bought development rights to more than 200,000 acres since 1991, Land said.
“Maybe within the next 10 years we’ll have purchased everything we can that’s good habitat, but on the other hand everything else may be developed.”
One solution the state and federal governments are trying is partnering with large private and agricultural landowners rather than buying the land.
Getting those landowners to buy into the importance of saving the panther is essential, Layne Hamilton, manager of the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, said.
“We can help them to understand having an animal like that on their property is an asset, not a liability,” she said. The refuge hopes to secure more economic incentives for landowners to manage their land for wildlife.
Another solution being explored is the possibility of moving Florida panthers to other areas in Northeast Florida or elsewhere in the Southeast.
Panther Particulars
The Florida Panther, puma concolor coryi, the state animal, once ranged throughout most of the southeastern United States, from Arkansas and Louisiana east and north to parts of South Carolina and Tennessee.
Lack of prey, human development and hunting eventually forced the panther into a small area of southwest Florida. The animal was listed as endangered in 1967.
Females begin bearing kittens as young as 18 months of age and as late as 11 years old. Most kittens are born between March and July and tan with dark brown or blackish spots and five bands around the tail. Spots fade within six months.
SOURCE: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Special Report: THE PANTHER PROJECT |  |