Take Action: 15th Florida Panther Killed, Emails Needed

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Take Action: 15th Florida Panther Killed, Emails Needed

 

NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

September 13, 2007

 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Yesterday, wildlife officials confirmed that the 15th

Florida panther this year was killed on a Florida roadway, eclipsing last

year’s record of 11 panthers killed by vehicles. The panther was a

two-year-old male discovered on I-75 just west of SR-29. I-75 runs through

Big Cypress National Preserve and along the Florida National Panther Refuge,

and SR-29 runs along the refuge, Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve and Big

Cypress.

 

“Roads and development have destroyed a great deal of panther habitat and

could spell the end for the Florida panther. The toll that vehicle

collisions are taking on the panther’s population is a serious obstacle to

their recovery, and the roads and vehicles themselves are inhibiting the

panther’s efforts to expand its range,” said Elizabeth Fleming, Florida

representative for Defenders of Wildlife.

 

 

There are fewer than 100 panthers in Florida today, up from a low of 20 to

30 individuals 20 years ago. This number is still dangerously low and

vehicle strikes are a major cause of death for the panther. Since 1972, 110

panthers have been killed on Florida roads, with 70 of those deaths

occurring in the last seven years.

 

Email Florida Governor Charlie Crist

 

Governor Charlie Crist

PL-05 The Capitol

Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001

Phone: 850-488-7146

Fax: 850-487-0801

E-mail: Charlie.Crist

http://www.flgov.com/contact_form

 

 

Fleming believes that this dramatic upswing is a result of an increasing

panther population experiencing loss, degradation and fragmentation of its

habitat, combined with an increasing human population, more roads and more

cars traveling in panther habitat. “We’ve confined panthers to just five

percent of where they once roamed in the southeastern U.S. and now they are

dying on our roads as they try to reclaim parts of their original range,”

she said.

 

The installation of wildlife crossings, which consist of special passageways

and directional fencing, have proven very successful in reducing the panther

’s highway mortality. During the upgrade work on Alligator Alley, along I-75

between Naples and Miami, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)

installed 24 underpasses and 13 bridge extensions to allow safe passage of

panthers and other wildlife. These installations and 40 miles of associated

fencing have nearly eliminated panther strikes along this corridor.

 

“Crossings and fencing have greatly reduced panther deaths in the areas

where they’ve been installed in Florida,” said Trish White, director of the

Habitat and Highways campaign for Defenders of Wildlife. “Governor Crist has

acknowledged that Floridians have a responsibility to rescue their state

animal from extinction and we encourage him to build up regional support for

future FDOT projects that include wildlife crossings.”

 

Defenders is an active member of the federal Florida Panther Recovery Team

and the state Florida Panther Technical Advisory Council. The organization

is preparing to work with FDOT on the initial phase of a project to

construct a wildlife crossing on U.S. 41 at Turner River in Big Cypress

National Preserve, a particularly deadly site for panthers and other

wildlife.

 

Additional efforts by Florida state agencies, developers and local elected

officials could further the conservation of the Florida panther. These

include:

 

* The creation of a regional transportation plan that protects panthers,

other wildlife and motorists in southwest Florida counties;

 

* The protection of panthers along more highway segments by incorporating

wildlife crossings, fencing and additional speed zones in appropriate

locations by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife

Conservation Commission, southwest Florida transportation departments and

area developers;

 

* Accelerating the building of wildlife crossings by FDOT and county road

commissions in identified areas of critical need;

 

* Consultations between FDOT and panther biologists to determine

shortcomings at particular crossings and fix any problems;

 

* Having Governor Crist and the Florida legislature reauthorize and increase

funding to the Florida Forever land acquisition program, which will help

secure the necessary habitat for panthers and other wildlife and allow them

to roam freely and safely.

 

“Wildlife crossings, like the ones being built on the U.S. 41 project, will

reconnect panther habitat and dramatically reduce the number of panthers hit

by vehicles as they move around in search of food, mates and territory,”

said Fleming. “The panther killed yesterday should serve as a sobering

reminder that we all have to do our part to protect them. "

 

Email Florida Governor Charlie Crist

 

Governor Charlie Crist

PL-05 The Capitol

Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001

Phone: 850-488-7146

Fax: 850-487-0801

E-mail: Charlie.Crist

http://www.flgov.com/contact_form