Florida Panther essays

Florida Panther essays The state mammal of Florida, the Florida panther, was placed on the endangered species list by the federal government in 1967. With around forth panthers remaining, its about time we did something to protect this graceful predator, but what can we do? One suggested idea is to introduce a group of cougars into the panthers environment. Personally, the cougars should not be introduced. The main reason the panther population is at the brink of extinction is due to humans and human activity. For one reason, the loss of habitat and fragmentation have cut down on the amount of resources and land available to the panthers. As far as the loss of habitat goes, adding another species will only add another consumer that has to feed off of the already scarce resources. Also, how will adding another species stop fragmentation? It cant, but the development of highways and such doesnt have to be halted. Panthers can in a way compromise with us. Panthers can tolerate a certain degree of development as long as hallways or corridors of forests connect one large block of habitable land to another. A study was performed in 1996 in the Santa Ana Mountains, located in Southern California, that found cougars had been successfully using these hallways to travel in order to find new territory. The idea of building a pathway is what is to be drawn from this example. Another human-caused problem is the panthers being involved in collisions with vehicles. Even since 1972, forth-four panthers have been killed in those accidents. Wildlife crossings, signs, and right of way fencing were put up along side the roadways that crossed public lands. Out of the forth miles which had been lined with fencing, not one panther has been killed where these structures are in place. Negative public perceptions also threaten the future survival of the Florida panther. With the support of the Florida residents ...