The Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) has been on the endangered species list since 1967 with only 130 individuals surviving within a small area in Southern Florida (Sullivan 2004). Prior to conservation efforts, the Florida panther has suffered several population losses due to inbreeding, habitat loss, and vehicular collisions with only an estimated 30 surviving individuals in the 1970s (Maehr 1992). The number one threat to the Florida panther is habitat loss and habitat fragmentation due to urban development in Southern FL within the hardwood hammocks and wetland habitats in which they live in. Most of the current panther population is located within public lands such as the Big Cypress National Reserve and the Everglades, with some rehabilitation centers such as White Oak and the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge to help with conservation efforts within this area (see Figure 1: Florida Panther Home Ranges).
The loss of habitat over time for the Florida panther has caused problems with dispersal and inbreeding within smaller populations. Inbreeding within these smaller patches of land, has resulted in congenital birth defects such as heart conditions and abnormal tails resulting in shorter life spans and high infant mortality within the panther populations (Facemire et al. 1993). In an effort to ameliorate inbreeding, a subspecies of puma from Australia (P. c. stanleyana) was introduced into South FL and has increased current panther counts from 60 in the 1990s to 130 individuals in 2001 (Johnson et al. 2010). In addition to inbreeding, panthers also suffer from exposure to environmental contaminants from agriculture and/or from consuming wildlife (raccoons) containing mercury and androgen crippling chemi...
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Kautz, Randy et al. How much is enough? Landscape-scale conservation for the Florida panther. Biological Conservation 2006, 130: 118-133
Maehr, David S. Florida panther (Felis concolor coryi) : Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida found in Humphrey, S.R. (edition), Mammals 1992, University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA, volume I: 176-189
Maehr, David S. et al. Florida panther dispersal and conservation. Biological Conservation 2002, 106: 187-197
Murrow, Jennifer L., Cindy A. Thatcher, Frank T. van Manen and Joseph D. Clark. A Data-Based Conservation Planning Tool for Florida Panthers. Environ Model Access 2013, 18: 159-170, DOI: 10.1007/s10666-012-9336-0
Sullivan, J.D., Jr. Florida’s endangered species, threatened species and species of special concern. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 2004, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
Man is responsible for the extinction of the North American megafauna (Donlan 2005, Rubenstein et al. 2006). Since our ancestors are responsible for the extinction, it’s our duty to fix what our ancestors have destroyed (Donlan 2005). Moreover, according to Donlan (2005) most megafauna species in Africa and Asia are endangered or under threat. Hence, relocating them to North American is a best way of conserving them because the country carries “Global conservation implications” and contrary to that Africa and Asia practice poor conservation strategies (Donlan 2005). He further argues that N...
Within the state of Florida there are dozens of individualized, non-profit organizations making an effort to help the local wildlife. The local land and marine wildlife includes birds, geckos, frogs, snakes, panthers, manatees, sea turtles, fishes, sharks, corals, lizards and many, many more. Florida State is located on the Southeastern tip of the United States providing a unique opportunity for conservation of salt-water animals. While there are animal conservation efforts taking place all over the world, this essay will focus on two animal species that humans are specifically trying to save in Florida State. The two main animal species of focus are manatees and sea turtles.
Levin, T. (1998, June/July). Listening to wildlife in the Everglades. National Wildlife, 36, 20- 31. McCally, D. (1999). The Everglades: An Environmental History. Gainsville: University Press of Florida.
Cavendish, M. (2011). North American Wildlife. (p. 109). New York: Marshall Cavendish Reference. DOI: www.marshallcavendish.us
Parry, Wynne. (Sept. 23Rd , 2011) Exotic Pets Turning Invasive, Threatning Florida. Tech Media. Retrieved March 10th 2014, from http://www.livescience.com/16204-florida-invasive-reptiles-amphibians.html
Florida Panthers require large areas to meet their social, reproductive, and energetic needs. It was listed because it was mistakenly perceived as a threat to humans, livestock and game animals; the panther was persecuted and hunted to near extinction by the mid-1950s. The U.S. Department of the Interior listed the Florida Panther as endangered in 1967 and congress passed the endangered species act in 1973. The Endangered Species Act was signed on December 28, 1973, and provides for the conservation of species that are endangered or threatened throughout all or a significant portion of their range, and the conservation of the ecosystems on which they
8. Taylor, Dan. 1998. Audubon Society Inspired to Action by Bird Die -offs . 17 Jan. 1998 . E-mail . Available bkus@sunstroke.sdsu.edu
The Florida Manatee’s popular marine species in the tropical environment of Florida are currently considered an “endangered species”. The ecology (the relationships between living organisms and their interactions with their natural or developed environment), for the manatee (trichechus manatus), requires and is generally restricted to the inland and coastal waters of peninsular Florida during the winter, when they shelter in and/or near warm-water springs, heated industrial effluents, and other warm water sites (as stated in Research Gate (1997) Hartman 1979, Lefebvre et al). The Florida (West Indian) Manatee, An Endangered Species, has no known predators other than humans; in the past, humans hunted
How Many Panthers Are Left? This also means that we can directly affect the panther’s future. It’s sad to say that Florida panthers are killed by cars and trucks and mainly humans, particularly on State Road 29 and Alligator Alley (I-75), and – although it is against the law – hunters also still shoot panthers occasionally.Only one subspecies remains in the eastern U.S. - the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi). Hunting decimated the population badly and it was one of the first species added to the U.S. Endangered Species List in 1973. Today, there are less than 100 Florida panthers left in the wild.On December 7, an 18 month-old female Florida panther was found shot dead in Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County. Endangered Florida Panther Killed ... On December 7, an 18 month-old female Florida panther was found ... to be shot for fun & sport…… the thing is that there's nothing funny or sporting about killing an endangered Florida Panther or other endangered
Loss, Scott R, Tom Will, & Peter P. Marra" The Impact of Free-Ranging Domestic Cats on Wildlife of the United States."Nature. Macmillan Publishers Limited, 12 Dec 2013. Web. 28 April 2014.
Verts, B. J., and Leslie N. Carraway. Land Mammals of Oregon. Berkeley: U of California, 1998. Print.
Recent statistics show that vehicular collisions are, in fact, a serious problem for the Florida panther’s survival rate as well: "In 2012, a record high of 19 panthers were killed while crossing the road. For a species whose population is believed to be just 100-160 adults, even the loss of a single cat is serious." (Reducing Panther Deaths on Roads). As the Florida panther faces extinction unless programs are implemented to restore its numbers, these statistics are not to be
"Wildlife Assistance/Nuisance Wildlife." Wildlife Assistance/Nuisance Wildlife. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
The current population of the Puma in Florida is 50 as of 1999. Because of hostility toward the animal due to its reputation, highways being built through out the state, unsuccessful breeding, road-kills and contimination of their food and land. It is thought that in the next 30 years, the species will die out completely without people stepping in.
The black-footed ferret (Mustela Nigripes) is known as the most endangered mammal in North America and it belongs to the weasel family. Researchers paid little attention to this species until it was discovered as threatened in 1967. According to an article issued in 1985, black-footed ferrets were perceived to be extinct until Lucille Hogg’s dog discovered a dead carcass of the species in 1981 (Gustkey, 1985). The discovery made by taxidermists reintroduced the species to the world as endangered (1985). The main reason for the decline in the population was due to the decline in prairie dogs. Prairie dogs make up most of the black-footed ferret’s diet, which can easily influence the predator-prey relationship and cause the population to fluctuate.