Florida Urges Motorists to Drive Slowly in Panther Country- laht.com
MIAMI – Florida officials urged motorists to exercise caution to avoid colliding into panthers, whose population has risen sharply in recent decades.
Two Florida panthers, a protected subspecies of the cougar that inhabits wetland and dryland areas in the southern part of the state, were found dead on Monday alone, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, or FWC, said.
That brings the number of documented deaths this year to 23, 15 of which are believed to have been caused by vehicle collisions.
Two Florida panthers, a protected subspecies of the cougar that inhabits wetland and dryland areas in the southern part of the state, were found dead on Monday alone, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, or FWC, said.
That brings the number of documented deaths this year to 23, 15 of which are believed to have been caused by vehicle collisions.
A record total of 25 panthers were found dead in 2007 and 2009 and 24 in 2011, according to the FWC, which credits conservation programs for increasing the Florida panther population in the state to between 100-160 animals, far more than the 20-30 that existed in the 1980s.
In a statement, the FWC noted that these big cats are an endangered species and urged "motorists to be extra vigilant when traveling through panther country," especially "at dawn or dusk, when panthers are most likely to be on the move."
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