Once seen throughout the southeastern United States, fewer than 100 Florida panthers are estimated to live in south Florida today. The current range is less than five percent of their original range across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and parts of Tennessee and South Carolina. Today, the main threats are habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation (National Park Service, n.d.). We need to recognize the signs and figure out how the stop the extinctions of today’s ecosystem. To get an idea of the shape and characteristics of a mature Florida panther, picture a large cat that has no spots and consists of mainly one color. Each Felis concolor consists of a solid tan body with a dark brown streak down its spine.
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The causes of panthers becoming endangered consisted of expansion, highway construction, residential expansions, and many other reasons. Another factor contributing to the extinction of Florida Panthers are their health. With not having many animals for sources of nutrients, the panthers in the Everglades of Florida have resorted to eating raccoons that poison them by contaminating the panther’s body with mercury, which transfers down the food chain of the ecosystem. One main health issue that comes from the aspects of the Florida Panthers is that males suffer from a condition that stops the factor of reproduction. In this condition, only one testicle descends from the scrotum, and more than ninety percent of the sperm in the testicles are abnormal. This is a huge factor that makes the population decline as more time passes without solving these problems. In the past, only 120-230 of panthers have remained in Florida, slightly decreasing over the years, making this species one of the most endangered mammals in the world (Big Cat Rescue, …show more content…
First, we must make sure that the habitat that these animals live in is to be improved and secured from poachers and other elements. Second, start a program to help boost breeding in panthers who will later be released back in their habitat. Third, explore ways to solve the health and genetic problems that the Florida Panthers are exhibiting, while also cross-breeding to help spread the population. There are parks where panthers are safely located in Florida, such as the Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park. Their goal is to take in these panthers and provide healthcare, shelter, and treatment for reproduction difficulties. The National Park Service is cooperating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Department of Natural Resources, and other organizations to attempt to restore the Florida Panther’s population to its original state. (Big Cat Rescue, 2016) Although the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is designed to protect T&E species from extinction, continued loss of habituation private land is undermining species conservation and recovery. However, because the ESA applies only when land use changes require a federal permit or receive federal funds (Kreye, Pienaar, Soto, & Adams, 2017, pg.459). To help track the population size and behaviors of the Florida Panther, the Florida Fish
The causes of panthers becoming endangered consisted of expansion, highway construction, residential expansions, and many other reasons. Another factor contributing to the extinction of Florida Panthers are their health. With not having many animals for sources of nutrients, the panthers in the Everglades of Florida have resorted to eating raccoons that poison them by contaminating the panther’s body with mercury, which transfers down the food chain of the ecosystem. One main health issue that comes from the aspects of the Florida Panthers is that males suffer from a condition that stops the factor of reproduction. In this condition, only one testicle descends from the scrotum, and more than ninety percent of the sperm in the testicles are abnormal. This is a huge factor that makes the population decline as more time passes without solving these problems. In the past, only 120-230 of panthers have remained in Florida, slightly decreasing over the years, making this species one of the most endangered mammals in the world (Big Cat Rescue, …show more content…
First, we must make sure that the habitat that these animals live in is to be improved and secured from poachers and other elements. Second, start a program to help boost breeding in panthers who will later be released back in their habitat. Third, explore ways to solve the health and genetic problems that the Florida Panthers are exhibiting, while also cross-breeding to help spread the population. There are parks where panthers are safely located in Florida, such as the Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park. Their goal is to take in these panthers and provide healthcare, shelter, and treatment for reproduction difficulties. The National Park Service is cooperating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Department of Natural Resources, and other organizations to attempt to restore the Florida Panther’s population to its original state. (Big Cat Rescue, 2016) Although the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is designed to protect T&E species from extinction, continued loss of habituation private land is undermining species conservation and recovery. However, because the ESA applies only when land use changes require a federal permit or receive federal funds (Kreye, Pienaar, Soto, & Adams, 2017, pg.459). To help track the population size and behaviors of the Florida Panther, the Florida Fish