The Cat on the Edge: The Florida Panther By Sable Alonso

THE FLORIDA PANTHER: A VANISHING POPULATION

The Florida Panther was once a thriving population of cougars that lived in the Florida before colonization. It was an apex predator perfectly suited to all of Florida's diverse habitats and could be found stalking the swamps, wetlands, forests, pine-lands, grasslands, and ranges. They mainly predate on deer and wild boar, keep these fast-growing populations in check, preserving the balance and ecosystem of Florida. Life was good and the ecosystem was balanced with the Florida Panther in steady numbers and thriving.

But everything changed for the Florida Panther when the southeastern U.S. became a colonized zone. Reviled as a predator and coveted as a hunting prize, European settlers in Florida nearly hunted the Florida Panther into extinction, perpetuated by the government of the time. "In 1887, the state of Florida offered a bounty of $5 per panther pelt, the equivalent of over $150 in today’s dollars" (The History of the Florida Panther, a Symbol of Reverence and Revulsion). In contrast with a few sightings and swift exterminations recorded at one of Florida nature's strongholds, the Big Cypress swamp, the cats were hunted to the point where they were considered extinct by the 1930s. In 1937, the few that survived the massacre became protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Nowadays, the Florida Panther faces many challenges in its journey to re-population with continued human shootings and its most formidable foes, among which is the land encroachment that both the ranchers and the Panther face. With rampant urban development taking over more and more sections of Florida, "“It’s death by a thousand cuts,” says Dave Onorato, lead research biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the state agency responsible for managing the panthers. “Not one of those developments is going to push them over the edge. But as more and more time passes and more of these developments get approved, there’s less and less habitat available for panthers.”" (Mertens).

The Panther's problems don't end with habitat loss as more developments take place. "Today, the primary threats to the remaining panther population are habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation. Urban sprawl, the conversion of once-diversified agricultural lands into intensified industrial farming uses, and the loss of farmland to commercial development combine to reduce the amount of suitable Florida panther habitat. Other factors include mortalities from collisions with automobiles, territorial disputes with other panthers, inbreeding, disease, and environmental toxins. All these other factors, however, also are related to habitat reduction." (Florida Wildlife Federation). All of these factors endanger the population of Florida Panthers, leading to panther births that are greatly outweighed by the deaths that occur each year.

With all of these dangers both past and present, the Florida Panther population is in critical condition. But their story, their fight, is not over yet.

agriculture, Society, and the florida panther

For Florida ranchers, the Panther stands as a way for them to maintain their livelihood. "“We need to protect the panther. It’s part of the balance of nature... It’s part of Florida and I don’t want to lose it.”" (“The Florida Panther | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service”) says Cary Lightsey, a 6th-generation rancher in Florida. Conservation easements that reserve more and more land protect both the Panther and the ranchers against the urban encroachment that endangers them both. By setting aside their own land in conservation easements, the ranchers can rest assured that their families will retain the land for cattle in the years to come. This beneficial relationship between the Florida Panther and cattle ranchers has been a tremendous boost to conservation efforts in acquiring much-needed land and the unforeseen advantage of cultural change.

Far from its history as a scapegoat of fear and revilement from colonial settlers that resorted to exterminating the big cats, the Florida Panther has taken on a new meaning to society through conservation efforts and ranchers such as Cary Lightsey who work to change the big cat's reputation from hatred to adoration, and they have had tremendous success; nowadays, the Florida Panther can be found featured on license plates and hailed as the state animal and the mascot of Florida's hockey team. There are still roadblocks to efforts in changing society's views on the Panthers, as there are always complaints about calf predation and difficulty of government reparations from ranchers, and predation on hobby farms in more urbanized areas, but on the whole, the Panther's reputation among humans is on the mend thanks to conservationists, nature lovers, and Florida's resident ranchers.