Florida Panther
Florida Panther NWR | Southeast Region
Public access to the refuge has not been allowed since the refuge’s inception because various outdoor recreation activities would generally disturb panthers or their prey and this would be inconsistent with the refuge purpose of providing optimal panther habitat. However, refuge staff and its cooperating Friends’ Group are preparing an interpretive trail that is tentatively planned to be open in early 2001. Furthermore notwithstanding disturbance to panther habitat, the refuge is not very accessible for public use. Few entry points exist and the existing roads make for rough travel and are easily degraded with extended use. Also, there are over three million acres of public lands in South Florida. Much of this land is available for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, wildlife observation, and other outdoor recreational pursuits. Six nature/visitor centers are operated by various groups and all of these sites are within one hour’s drive of Naples. ... [Read More]
SOFIA Kid's Page - Critters - Florida Panther
The Florida panther makes its home in cypress swamps , pinelands and hardwood hammocks . The greatest threat to the panther is loss of habitat. Collisions with cars and illegal shootings are other threats. ... Visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Florida Panther Net for more panther facts and activities. ... The Florida panther is Florida's state animal. It is one of the most endangered mammals in the world. Less than 50 panthers remain in the wild. ... [Read More]
Florida Panther - Panther Literature References
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service contracted a team of independent biologists to review all scientific information published about the Florida panther. You can view the team's summary of what we know about panther biology, their recommendations for future research, and their annotated bibliography in ... http://wld.fwc.state.fl.us/critters/panther/index.asp ... http://www.panther.state.fl.us/news/reports.html ... [Read More]
Everglades National Park Panthers
May of the remaining panthers live in or near Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park. The National Park Service is cooperating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Department of Natural Resources, and other organizations to try to bring about recovery of the Florida panther. Efforts are centered on research, captive breeding, and public education. Radio-collaring of several panthers has shown what areas and habitat types they use. Other studies have identified the principal prey -- white-tailed deer. Publicity has made the public more aware of the panther's plight and alerted people to watch out for them on the highway. But with the numbers so low and suitable habitat in south Florida so restricted, captive breeding and reestablishment in other areas will be crucial for turning the population decline around. ... [Read More]
Florida Panther - Panther Main Entry Page
The Florida panther ( Puma concolor coryi ), a subspecies of the mountain lion or puma, is a wide-ranging predator found only in south-central and south Florida. Once roaming the southeastern United States from Arkansas and Louisiana, east to South Carolina and south through Florida, today the panther struggles to maintain a marginally viable population of only about 80 cats within about five percent of its historic range. Although listed as an endangered species in 1967 and enjoying the protections provided by the Endangered Species Act, the panther continues to face habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation from human urbanization, agricultural development and roads, and inbreeding and reduced genetic health because of its small population size. ... [Read More]
Florida Panther - Panther Fact Sheet
In 1995, in order to reverse the impacts of inbreeding, and improve the health and viability of the panther population, a program (Seal et al. 1994) to restore the genetic diversity of, and gene flow into, the south Florida population was initiated with the release of eight female cougars from Texas ( F. c. stanleyana ). The goal of the project was for each Texas female to have two offspring survive and become part of the breeding population. Ultimately, the plan called for the future panther population to trace 20% of its genetic makeup to these Texas animals. The initial results of the program have been promising and coincide with a population increase, signs of improved genetic health, recolonization of areas in Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park recently unoccupied, and increased dispersal (McBride 2000, 2001, 2002; Maehr et al. 2002a). The extent of introgression continues to be carefully monitored using pedigree analysis based on Florida and Texas foun ... [Read More]
Florida Panther - Overview
The Florida panther was listed as endangered throughout its range in 1967, and has received Federal protection under the ESA since that time. Conservation and recovery of the Florida panther are the responsibility of the FWS. In 1981, we issued a recovery plan for the Florida panther in the southeastern United States region. This plan was revisited in the mid 1980's culminating in the first major revision of the recovery plan in 1987. A minor revision to incorporate a task to address genetic restoration and management was approved in 1995. In 2001, we initiated the process to revise the plan for a third time. A ... [Read More]
Florida Panther - Additional Information Links
Florida Panther Society: http://www.panthersociety.org/ ... Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Panther Page: http://www.wildflorida.org/critters/panther.asp ... Florida Panther Net: http://www.panther.state.fl.us/ ... [Read More]
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service -- Press Releases
The trail system will provide access to the southeast corner of the Refuge, introducing hikers to the major habitat types such as pine flatwoods, prairies, hardwood hammocks and cypress swamps. Among these typical south Florida habitats many species of birds and mammals may be seen. Bear, deer and turkey have already left tracks on the new trail. The Panther Refuge trail is part of the newly established Everglades Trail System, a project sponsored by former Senator Bob Graham, to highlight the beauty and diversity of the Florida Everglades. Educational kiosks will display aspects of the Florida Everglades, highlight the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and its namesake endangered cat. ... [Read More]
Bird Checklists of the United States
For more information please contact: Refuge Manager Florida Panther NWR Ten Thousand Island NWR 3860 Tollgate Blvd., Suite 300 Naples, Florida 33942-5444 Telephone: 813/353-8442 This resource is based on the following source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. No date. Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge bird checklist. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2 pages. This resource should be cited as: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. No date. Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge bird checklist. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2 pages. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/othrdata/chekbird/r4/flpanthr.htm (Version 22MAY98). ... [Read More]
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