Cat on a Collision Course

Though its numbers are growing, the Florida panther continues to lose habitat to development; will the nation’s most endangered cat run out of room to roam?

[Florida] As it has so many times in the panther’s recent history, hope for a new life for the animals had collided with stark reality in Southwest Florida, where the last remaining population of the cats exists in a kind of limbo between survival and extinction. But lately, many more cats are dying, too, suggesting to some that the recovery may have already peaked. Wildlife experts say a population of at least 240 panthers is needed to ensure survivability over the long haul. But even at the current level of 100 cats, South Florida appears to be running out of room.

News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes
www.southernsustainableforests.org