A.G. Gancarski
The federal government is mulling removing the Florida panther from the endangered species list. If that happens, it is over the objection of Sen. Bill Nelson.
On Tuesday, Nelson wrote Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.
The Senate Democrat’s letter contended that the panther is still in fact endangered — and that the cats continue to face existential threats, despite the population expanding from 20 panthers at the end of the 1970s to seeing its territory expanding “north of the Caloosahatchee River for the first time since the species was listed in 1973.”
Panthers, however, are still in danger.
Nelson notes that just in the last decade, 140 panthers were killed by cars.
“Clearly,” Nelson writes, “there is a need for additional resources to protect the panther from vehicle collisions. Wildlife crossings and roadway fencing are a tried and true way to do this while also preventing habitat fragmentation.”
Development: also an issue.
“It is critical that future development effectively balances the panther’s needs.” Nelson writes.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continues to review the endangered status of the panther and 21 other species.
