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Report shows increase in human contact with Fla. panthers
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People are having more sightings and encounters with Florida panthers, according to a new state report released Thursday.
Florida panther experts guess that neighborhood dogs probably chased the young, male cat up in a tree Tuesday morning in a Golden Gate Estates neighborhood in Naples. The panther later jumped down on its own. (FWC photos by Mark Lotz)
As more humans move into panther habitat, the potential for human-panther interactions increases. Therefore, the Interagency Florida Panther Response Team -- which includes biologists, law enforcement officers and other agency representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission -- developed a plan to promote public safety and panther conservation.
Reported interactions included panther sightings and encounters, including one involving a panther that was removed from the wild because it was deemed a potential threat, and multiple domestic animal depredations.
The Fish and Wildlife Service released the 2007 Interagency Florida Panther Response Team Report that summarizes human-panther interactions investigated by the team between December 2003 and June 2007.
The report summarizes outreach and educational efforts completed by the team, as well the work of partnering organizations and local government agencies, which provide the public with the information and tools needed to live and recreate in panther habitat.
To view the report, visit http://www.fws.gov/verobeach or http://myfwc.com/panther/.
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