Florida Panther petition has over 27,000 signers!
Wanted to thank everyone for signing and sharing this petition. This is the first time South Florida Wildlands Association has posted a petition - and the response has been overwhelming. We'll make sure the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is paying attention.
We're also sharing this photo we recently posted on our organization's Facebook page. Shows a female panther in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge moving her den in response to a heavy rain the day before. Three kittens were moved one-by-one over a 12-hour period.
Our fear is that with a potential 45,000 acres of new development moving into primary and secondary panther habitat, this scene is going to repeat. And some of that development is adjacent to the panther refuge and nearby corridors (panthers pay no attention to the borders of public lands). Research has shown that panthers need about one deer-sized animal (or the equivalent in smaller animals) per week for survival. But a nursing female like this one requires even more. And as habitat is lost to roads and development, prey animals also become more scarce - which means panthers must range over a larger area to find food. That increase in range means more road crossings (and more chances to get hit by a vehicle). It can also mean a greater likelihood of running into a territory already occupied by another dominant panther - and a fight to the death (unfortunately, the second most common cause of Florida Panther mortality after vehicles). You can find our original post on this topic and many more dealing with wildlife issues on the South Florida Wildlands Facebook page below. Please like and follow our page to stay in touch.