Floridian Panther

Floridian Panther

The Floridian Panther – Why it should keep on existing

"We have the knowledge that conservation works if executed in a timely manner, yet, without strong political will in combination with targeted efforts and resources, the wonders of nature and the services it provides can be lost forever.” (Knight,M citing Smart,J)

The Floridian panther is Florida's state animal, and is unfortunately on the verge of becoming extinct. A brief overview of the animal. The Floridian panther is a sub-species of Puma. Its main diet consists of deer, while it also eats hogs,rabbits, racoons and birds.It has been know to take pets and small livestock of individuals who live near their habitats. There are an estimated range of between 100 and 160 adults in Southern Florida(Defenders of Wildlife). However some estimates are even less, with some sources quoting as low as under one hundred left (Defenders Of Wildlife). Measuring the actual numbers of these animals can be more difficult than one would think. As Julian Champkin notes in his article about the extinction on Black Rhinos:

”A rhino, you would have thought, would be relatively easy to spot if in fact there is one there; but one of the great debates in elephant conservation is over how many elephants there actually are – and it is surprisingly difficult to say. You would have thought that the biggest of all land animals would be easy to count – but how can you tell them apart and be sure that you haven’t counted the same one twice? “

Floridian panthers typically have a litter size of between one and four kittens, of which all very rarely survive. They can be defined as habitat generalists, meaning they can live in forests, praries and swamps.The panthers are generally quite.(Friends of the Florida Panther).

Because the Floridian panther poses such a threat to livestock and pets, it has been viciously hunted and almost eradicated from the Eastern United States. The Floridian panther was added to the 1973 U.S...

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