Panthers in Peril

The Florida panther is an endangered species that became nearly extinct in the 1950s. This all began back in 1832 when a bounty was placed on panthers dwindling their population to an estimated fewer than 100 panthers remaining. As the development of Florida to fit human needs continues, there is even less viable habitat available for these panthers to live within. They prefer uplands that have been developed more than the preserved wetlands in the Everglades. 

As viable habitat decreased, so did the associated resources. This further restricted panthers’ ability to populate. Panthers require meat as the majority of their diet, but habitat changes also strained their prey, leaving them with more work and less reward. What used to be hunting for a single deer became hunting ten raccoons to gain the equivalent value. This is particularly difficult for pregnant individuals who need even more sustenance in a more taxing state. 

Pollution has also made feeding more difficult. It was discovered in 1989 that due to bioaccumulation, a panther had died of mercury poisoning. This has to do with the change in prey consumption. Deer were much lower on the food chain than raccoons and other smaller prey, allowing mercury to accumulate to lethal levels.

As populations declined and became isolated from subspecies, it resulted in inbreeding. Inbreeding caused detrimental traits to permeate man generations. In response, in 2007, Texas panthers were released as a close relative of the Florida panther. This helped the population increase in size and resilience, although a true Florida panther is a thing of the past. 

The Panther National WIldlife Refuge also aims to help preserve the population by maintaining a viable habitat within Florida’s Big Cypress Basin. They estimate that as of April 2022, there are over 200 individuals; however, they caution that habitat fragmentation will continue to pose a hindrance to full recovery.