How is the Florida panther being helped to not be endangered?

Answer 1

today, there are fewer than 100 panthers in Florida. They have been on the federal endangered species list since 1967 and on the state's endangered list since 1973. And they are located exclusively in the southwestern part of the state. Darrell Land, panther section leader with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said, "No credible evidence exists for any other populations. Collisions with vehicles would be occurring if indeed there were undetected populations."

From nonprofit groups dedicated to saving the predator, to the Florida license plate bearing a panther's image, to the professional Florida Ice Hockey sports team and Florida International University college teams, the Florida panther seems to be a species with a great deal of popularity and clout. Yet what it needs most to survive right now is land.

How Panther Numbers Plummeted

What caused the panther to become nearly extinct? Many factors have threatened the panther: man-made contaminants, vehicle collisions, scarcity of prey and immune problems.

Land said it is difficult to say how many panthers there were when the animals were in their prime, but "if you consider that the range extended to South Carolina and Arkansas, they must have been in the thousands," he explained.

The first threat to panther existence was likely hunting. Native Americans hunted the panther for its skin, teeth and claws. Then early settlers aggressively hunted the cat to eliminate its threat to livestock. From the 1800s until the 1950s, the state of Florida paid a bounty for Florida panther pelts. That's when panther ranks dwindled.

The resulting small isolated population led to inbreeding and some genetic problems, including infertility and heart murmurs in kittens. In 1995, 8 female Texas cougars -- the closest remaining cougar population that had shared Florida panther range -- were introduced into the Florida panther population to help increase gene diversity.

But habitat loss is by far the most significant impact to the health and well-being of the Florida panther. The panther needs large areas with an adequate number of prey. Florida -- and particularly southern Florida -- has seen increased mining, farming, ranching and lumbering in addition to the influx of people.

"Today, direct persecution is practically non-existent," Land said. "White-tailed deer numbers are perhaps greater than ever, but habitat loss continues, and the former 'panther' landscape has been fragmented severely by an immense spider web of highways and urbanization."

Answer 2

One of the most common ways scientists are helping the Florida panthers is by crossbreeding said animal with other species of large felines such as the cougar

The Florida panther is a race of the cougar, or mountain lion, also called puma.

Answer 3

Donate to the Florida Panther Recovery Fund, or Florida Fish and Game. Happily, the Florida panther (or puma, more correctly) is on the comeback trail, with over 80 in the wild today. The Florida race was down to 30 animals or so, when the biologists released 8 female Texas cougars, a very closely related race. The project thus far has been successful, and the inbreeding problems are beginning to disappear.

Answer 4

The Florida panther (or puma) is strictly protected by law. When the last 25 were showing signs of inbreeding, eight Texas female cougars were brought in to add to the gene pool. The plan seems to have worked, as pumas there now show no signs of inbreeding.

Answer 5

bugger all