Panther Protection Policies In Florida Will Be Rethought

On Friday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said officials do not want to remove the panther from the Endangered Species list or change protections already in place.

Florida wildlife officials say Florida’s panther population has been growing during the past 20 years and stands at around 180 adults.

During an interview with local reporters on Friday, FWC executive director Nick Wiley said that the recovery of the Florida panther is heading toward a different chapter.

One of the most important concerns is the fact that state officials should not be required to decide the panther populations which exist outside of southwest Florida.

The draft recommends the commission seek more federal assistance as the panther population has reached its “carrying capacity” and is expanding to other parts of the state.

The new policy was originally presented to commissioners last year although it was tabled until the agency could provide additional input.

The new draft removes language that said current panther populations were “straining and now exceed the tolerance of landowners, residents and recreationists in the region” as evidenced by the killing of livestock on ranches and crashes with cars on roadways.

Kipp Frohlich, deputy director of FWC explained that it is of utter importance to maintain the public’s support for efforts that address the conservation of Florida panthers. “Part of maintaining broad public support is recognizing when you have wildlife conflicts”. The species was listed as endangered in 1967 when there were just 30 animals in the wild. In order to keep people’s support for this problem a first step would be to admit when there are conflicts involving wildlife. Federal wildlife officials should take the lead on that rather than Florida wildlife officials, according to the revised paper.