The Florida Panther

Hi my name is Penny Panther, the baby Florida panther. Though I am in captivity, I want to tell you that my kind of species is becoming extinct and I want humans to help save my kind. Why? Florida panther survival depends on the survival of plants and animals. If the plants and small animals are gone then we will die. Humans are losing natural wilderness because of their "need" for urban development. Preserving wilderness protects the quality of soil, water and air that all species, including you, humans, depend on for life. Only 50 to 70 of us Florida panthers are left in the wild. Though the numbers are up from 1995 (30-50), it is still not enough. We are magnificent creatures that used to roam from western Texas to the southeastern states but, now you can only find us in cypress swamps and pine and hardwood areas in Florida. We mainly eat white-tailed deer and sometimes wild hogs. Florida panthers are solitary hunters and are nocturnal, which means we travel at night. Males need a home range of about 400 square miles and females need about 50 to 100 square miles.

One reason I am becoming extinct is because loss of habitat. People are destroying the territory of the panthers and then the males, being very protective of their territory, will kill other males who trespass onto their territory. This is not the panthers fault: the male has no where to go, since people are slowly destroying the panther’s home. So naturally, the panther has to go find another home and unfortunately it will accidentally trespass another panther’s territory and one of the panthers WILL get killed. This is how the panthers will slowly kill themselves off because of you destroying our home, the wild. Another way we are becoming extinct is by cars and trucks hitting us and it is so fatal that almost all the time this happens the panther is killed. My mother died this grave way. Sometimes a hunter deliberately shoots innocent panthers that are minding their own business even though it is illegal to shoot us. This is how my father died. In case you didn’t know, Florida panthers are one of the most rare and endangered animals in the world!

Now I think, since you know why we are endangered, I can give you ideas on how to help us. After more than two decades of research by scientists, it is time that the public should be informed about us and help us. The best way to help us is to be informed about us and our problem and tell other people about it too so they know and they will tell others. Awareness is half the battle. An understanding and concern for preserving natural systems must be developed among land owners, businesses, and recreational interests. People need to know the importance of us being here and they must have the appreciation of the wildlife. Anytime you know that there are buildings coming in an area of panthers, then try to protest and stop the building from coming there. People should support wilderness land acquisition, and the public and private land management practices which emphasize biodiversity and balance. You should visit state parks where we live and become informed about us. You ought to attend public meetings about the panther issues because the decisions that affect endangered species are made at these forums, a public meeting place for open discussion, and you should make sure your voice is heard, that is if you want to help us. Young kids should do school projects and tell their friends about us and become active in the community. The more people know about us, the more we will be appreciated and the faster we will become less endangered. Right now it is the public that can help us the most, not the big land companies or the government (but they could help) it is YOU. Please, I speak for all my fellow Florida panthers that are in the wild that need your help. This is Penny, the baby Florida panther and I hope you will help us. Why would humans want to kill us panthers when we haven’t done anything to you?

Prianca
Taylor Middle School