SHOULD THE FLORIDA PANTHER BE DELISTED
HENDRY COUNTY, FL -
- Weigh in: Vote in the poll at the bottom of this story
Despite fervent disagreement, these locals say panthers have rebounded to a plentiful population that is physically, behaviorally and genetically different than the cat that roamed Florida long ago. And the protection of the animal is being criticized for stunting county growth, lowering other populations of hunted animals, wasting public money and causing private losses.
"Florida panthers should be removed from the endangered list because there is no Florida panther," said Glades County Commission chair Donna Storter Long, also a lifelong Florida resident.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says panthers barely escaped extinction, when in the 1970s there may have been only a handful left.
In 1985, government estimates put the adult panther population in the neighborhood of only 30, with signs of inbreeding.
What the government did next to help push the panther population back up to today's situation is lauded as either a huge success or a monumental mistake.
HISTORY
In 1995, eight pumas from Texas were released and bred to give genetic variation to the small, inbred panther population that was left in southern Florida.
Government and conservation groups say it was a success - and those pumas were ultimately removed.
"Florida panthers are still Florida panthers. Genetic restoration has mimicked what used to occur naturally before the loss of extensive amounts of habitat," a statement from FWC reads. "You could make the case that the genetic restoration program actually has resulted in Florida panthers that are more similar to those that historically inhabited the southeast U.S. prior to isolation in Florida."
Some county leaders and residents in Southwest Florida completely disagree.
"Lists of animal species that are diminishing, endangered and threatened by possible extinction should not include panthers in Florida because these animals are no longer 'Florida panthers;' factually and publicly known they are progeny of animals imported from another state where they are not even close to being endangered," said Commissioner Long.
Despite fervent disagreement, these locals say panthers have rebounded to a plentiful population that is physically, behaviorally and genetically different than the cat that roamed Florida long ago. And the protection of the animal is being criticized for stunting county growth, lowering other populations of hunted animals, wasting public money and causing private losses.
"Florida panthers should be removed from the endangered list because there is no Florida panther," said Glades County Commission chair Donna Storter Long, also a lifelong Florida resident.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says panthers barely escaped extinction, when in the 1970s there may have been only a handful left.
In 1985, government estimates put the adult panther population in the neighborhood of only 30, with signs of inbreeding.
What the government did next to help push the panther population back up to today's situation is lauded as either a huge success or a monumental mistake.
HISTORY
In 1995, eight pumas from Texas were released and bred to give genetic variation to the small, inbred panther population that was left in southern Florida.
Government and conservation groups say it was a success - and those pumas were ultimately removed.
"Florida panthers are still Florida panthers. Genetic restoration has mimicked what used to occur naturally before the loss of extensive amounts of habitat," a statement from FWC reads. "You could make the case that the genetic restoration program actually has resulted in Florida panthers that are more similar to those that historically inhabited the southeast U.S. prior to isolation in Florida."
Some county leaders and residents in Southwest Florida completely disagree.
"Lists of animal species that are diminishing, endangered and threatened by possible extinction should not include panthers in Florida because these animals are no longer 'Florida panthers;' factually and publicly known they are progeny of animals imported from another state where they are not even close to being endangered," said Commissioner Long.
Pumas in Texas are considered to have a stable population with non-game status - they have big game status in Alberta, Idaho and South Dakota and are protected in California where they are estimated to number in the thousands.
A DIFFERENT CAT?
"The truth is - Florida's state animal, the Florida panther, no longer exists because of inbreeding and crossbreeding. It is genetically modified and no longer has the exact DNA of what was once considered the Florida panther - let's call them what they are Texlda or FloriTex," Long said.
Legally - despite the introduction of Texas puma genes - panthers in Florida are still fully protected under the Endangered Species Act. Meanwhile, debate over whether the Florida panther is a unique subspecies of Puma continues among researchers.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) reviews species for their listing status - and notes panthers are still endangered, citing legal criteria where three viable self-sustaining populations of at least 240 individuals must be maintained for at least 14 years with sufficient habitat.
The listing criteria could change - as a team of appointed members to the federal government's Florida Panther Recovery Implementation Team is currently assessing if it needs to be updated. The team's meetings are not open to the public, but meeting notes are posted online.
However you classify it though, the panther protected today doesn't even look or act the same, according to some lifelong Florida residents.
"I saw my first panther in 1955 in Wachula, Hardee County, where I'm fifth generation - he ran across the road in front of the car - we almost hit it - it was tall, really lanky, skinny, small head and now a days they're just the opposite. They have a head twice the size almost - they're large and they're different color and they're more aggressive," said Sheriff Whidden's dad, Lance "Bubba" Whidden, 76.
"I think their paws are almost twice the size as the Florida panther from what I've seen and I've seen quite a bit," said "Bubba" Whidden.
Sheriff Whidden also remembers a different looking cat. "When I was a kid you'd see them and they were small, small head, small feet, small tracks, the ones that we're seeing here now especially in Hendry County are all huge cats."
Biologists studying panthers were contacted about these observations and were reluctant to comment on them.
POPULATION DEBATE
The panther population has grown to 100 or 180 adults based on estimates cited by state and federal government agencies and conservation groups.
According to the government, it was attempts to eradicate the panther before it was protected that help put it on the brink of extinction, when prior to 1949 they could be killed in Florida at any time of year.
They were - and still are for some - seen as a nuisance, competing with hunters for deer and taking calves and other livestock, which causes monetary losses for ranchers.
Dallas Townsend, 75, another lifelong Florida resident and "Bubba" Whidden said there are so many they should be hunted or trapped to control the population - which conservationists are diametrically opposed to.
"When you're dealing with 180, you can't lose any of them. So it's really not appropriate to be hunting, because you don't have the sustainable population that can be stable," said Conservancy of Southwest Florida Natural Resource Policy Director Jennifer Hecker.
Still, some people living in panther country say there are more panthers than government estimates cited by conservation groups.
And, "There is currently no published statistically valid sound population estimate," according to information from the federal wildlife service's Florida Panther Recovery Implementation Team.
"I would almost bet the farm there's well over 600 or 700," Townsend said.
Area outdoorsman also estimate the population is far greater than what is in the common discourse.
Outdoorsmen Mike Elfenbein and Andres Pis run a Facebook page called The Panthers of South Florida. Elfenbein believes there are between 300 and 500 cats.
Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission officials dispute that, saying it would mean panthers are living at a density far greater than anything ever documented by scientists.
Locals living in panther country share anecdotes and beliefs that they are seeing more cats.
And Sheriff Whidden notes: "Everybody that I know that owns land around here that has hunting cameras, or game cameras, every one of them are showing me pictures of these panthers and that's high numbers for all of them to have on their cameras - so there's a lot of panthers around here."
Conservation groups disagree with that theory, saying it's possible the same sets of panthers are being re-photographed.
Most everyone agrees there are far more than there were and they have reached their carrying capacity for the habitat available south of the Caloosahatchee, where panthers predominantly live.
More panthers and no extra room for them to roam has led to more observed deaths; 2014 was a record-setting year for overall deaths - and for ones on roadways.
[Click here for a map of all recorded panther deaths since 1972]
[Click here to watch a necropsy of a panther from FWC]
According to FWC, more panthers, more people, more roads, more traffic and less habitat all led to more panthers being struck and killed. The agency also cites better reporting of dead panthers than 20 years ago.
Elfenbein sees it differently. "The natural balance of the world is just finding another way to reduce the numbers. Cars are that method," he said.
PREY
"The panther has gotten so numerous that it has decimated the deer population," said Townsend.
Pis, 46, who helps run the The Panthers of South Florida Facebook page, said he has hunted in Big Cypress and South Florida since he was six years old.
"Our prey base in several hundred thousand acres of wild Florida has been and continues to be extirpated... livestock and pet losses are known to occur daily - this alarming trend not only involves deer and wild hog, it also involves all small prey animals - marsh rabbit, raccoon, possum, armadillo."
Biologists are currently studying the dynamics of the south Florida deer herd, including the role played by panthers -- which is a top priority of research, according to David Shindle, the biologist for The Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
Biologists are currently studying the dynamics of the south Florida deer herd, including the role played by panthers -- which is a top priority of research, according to David Shindle, the biologist for The Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
"Although some areas in Big Cypress National Preserve, particularly the southern parts of the preserve, have seen significant declines in the deer herd, in other areas harvest rates indicate a steady population," said Shindle. "In areas where deer populations are declining, there are likely multiple contributing factors, one of them being predations by panthers and other predators."
Government and conservation officials are aware of conflicts between panthers and people and have programs to help reimburse people when panthers kill their livestock. Critics of reimbursement programs say they don't go far enough.
[Click here to see all recorded panther depredations from FWC]
"We have to share this landscape," said Hecker, noting the deer are one of the panther's natural prey and they should be allowed to eat them. "There's a way that we can work together."
MONEY
From debate over deaths to debate over dollars - some counties and people blame the panther for monetary losses.
"As a Glades County Commissioner I know it is grossly unfair to the citizens of Glades County to have restrictions placed on use of personal property because of another county's development that displaced an animal, especially when that animal truly is not endangered," said Long.
Government and conservation officials are aware of conflicts between panthers and people and have programs to help reimburse people when panthers kill their livestock. Critics of reimbursement programs say they don't go far enough.
[Click here to see all recorded panther depredations from FWC]
"We have to share this landscape," said Hecker, noting the deer are one of the panther's natural prey and they should be allowed to eat them. "There's a way that we can work together."
MONEY
From debate over deaths to debate over dollars - some counties and people blame the panther for monetary losses.
"As a Glades County Commissioner I know it is grossly unfair to the citizens of Glades County to have restrictions placed on use of personal property because of another county's development that displaced an animal, especially when that animal truly is not endangered," said Long.
"We have not been consulted on whether or not we want to be a panther mitigation bank, but primary panther habitat, secondary panther habitat and panther dispersal zone designations have been applied to much of Glades County... without our consent."
Long said she believes that government agencies are trampling private property rights for environmental purposes.
It's not just Glades County.
In Hendry County, Sheriff Whidden said: "It hurts us in law enforcement, everything is Ag (agricultural) … Unfortunately if the county can't grow it's services can't grow. One of the reasons it can't grow is because the state owns so much land here and one of the reasons is everything is protected for the Florida panther, which in my opinion is not a Florida panther."
About 77-percent of panther habitat south of the Caloosahatchee is publicly-owned or under some level of conservation status.
Because there is so much state-owned land and conservation easements, Hendry County is limited in how much it can collect in taxes.
Specifically, 41-percent of Hendry County's just value, or full cash value, is not assessed - that amounts to $1.2 billion. Of that, $921 million consists of state land and $9 million from conservation easements.
Asked if it's fair that counties lose a chunk of their taxable roll, FWC responded with this statement: "Conservation easements are one of the many tools used to offset potential impacts during land zoning and development efforts."
Beyond the dollars in county coffers, estimated costs for protecting the panther for five years has been pegged at $17.75 million, according to a 2008 Florida Panther Recovery plan from USFWS.
The Panther Program Appropriations noted by FWC was $1.6 million, according to the latest annual report from the state on panther management.
And that could grow since Gov. Rick Scott has proposed in his 2015-2016 budget to include $150 million allocated toward land acquisition and management that would focus on protecting land for the Florida panther.
"If the panther is no longer a federally-listed species, the mechanisms and the funding to ensure the conservation of these lands on behalf of the panther would be diminished," said Shindle.
One element of conservation are wildlife crossings - which Long calls an "asinine waste of taxpayers' money."
She references an area where panthers can cross under State Road 80 east of LaBelle and notes: "This is where the ridiculous waste of taxes comes in, property owners along SR-80 have driveways and of course the state cannot force them to close those driveways with panther fence gates, so why is money wasted to put up a fence that a panther who roams many miles in a day anyway can just trot down a short way and exit at the driveways and cross the road?"
Panther deaths on the roadway can never be completely eliminated despite the crossings, according some including Shindle, who thinks we need more.
"Wildlife crossing structures in combination with adequate fencing has significantly reduced panther mortalities associated with vehicle collisions on those roadways where these conservation measures are implemented," Shindle said.
And FWC notes said fencing can only be extended so far from a crossing before it becomes a barrier to animal movement - and they benefit other animals besides panthers.
Long said she believes that government agencies are trampling private property rights for environmental purposes.
It's not just Glades County.
In Hendry County, Sheriff Whidden said: "It hurts us in law enforcement, everything is Ag (agricultural) … Unfortunately if the county can't grow it's services can't grow. One of the reasons it can't grow is because the state owns so much land here and one of the reasons is everything is protected for the Florida panther, which in my opinion is not a Florida panther."
About 77-percent of panther habitat south of the Caloosahatchee is publicly-owned or under some level of conservation status.
Because there is so much state-owned land and conservation easements, Hendry County is limited in how much it can collect in taxes.
Specifically, 41-percent of Hendry County's just value, or full cash value, is not assessed - that amounts to $1.2 billion. Of that, $921 million consists of state land and $9 million from conservation easements.
Asked if it's fair that counties lose a chunk of their taxable roll, FWC responded with this statement: "Conservation easements are one of the many tools used to offset potential impacts during land zoning and development efforts."
Beyond the dollars in county coffers, estimated costs for protecting the panther for five years has been pegged at $17.75 million, according to a 2008 Florida Panther Recovery plan from USFWS.
The Panther Program Appropriations noted by FWC was $1.6 million, according to the latest annual report from the state on panther management.
And that could grow since Gov. Rick Scott has proposed in his 2015-2016 budget to include $150 million allocated toward land acquisition and management that would focus on protecting land for the Florida panther.
"If the panther is no longer a federally-listed species, the mechanisms and the funding to ensure the conservation of these lands on behalf of the panther would be diminished," said Shindle.
One element of conservation are wildlife crossings - which Long calls an "asinine waste of taxpayers' money."
She references an area where panthers can cross under State Road 80 east of LaBelle and notes: "This is where the ridiculous waste of taxes comes in, property owners along SR-80 have driveways and of course the state cannot force them to close those driveways with panther fence gates, so why is money wasted to put up a fence that a panther who roams many miles in a day anyway can just trot down a short way and exit at the driveways and cross the road?"
Panther deaths on the roadway can never be completely eliminated despite the crossings, according some including Shindle, who thinks we need more.
"Wildlife crossing structures in combination with adequate fencing has significantly reduced panther mortalities associated with vehicle collisions on those roadways where these conservation measures are implemented," Shindle said.
And FWC notes said fencing can only be extended so far from a crossing before it becomes a barrier to animal movement - and they benefit other animals besides panthers.
It said in a statement the SR-80 crossing was "relatively inexpensive" and also agrees more are needed beyond the 60 crossings or bridge modifications that have already been constructed.
Questions to FWC about the cost for wildlife crossings were referred to the Florida Department of Transportation, which said four to the north of I-75 and two the south of I-75 were constructed for $8.2 million.
NBC2 Poll
Questions to FWC about the cost for wildlife crossings were referred to the Florida Department of Transportation, which said four to the north of I-75 and two the south of I-75 were constructed for $8.2 million.
NBC2 Poll
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