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Hi John,
The remains of a 5-month-old female panther were found along a rural road in Collier County, Florida, earlier this month.
Just days later, a 3-year-old female panther was found dead less than a mile away. Six of these cats have perished so far this year after being struck by vehicles.
They urgently need our help. Please support our work to save them by giving to the Saving Life on Earth Fund.
Last year, 27 Florida panthers were reported killed — all but two of them because of vehicle strikes.
These cats used to roam throughout the Southeast. Now there may be as few as 130 remaining.
And because of sprawl, the panthers eke out a living in just 5% of their historic range. Now developers want to destroy what little habitat these endangered cats have left.
A proposed development would bring thousands of new residents within about a mile of the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. This project would cut off key wildlife corridors and threaten these great cats' last sanctuary. It would also leave them vulnerable to more deadly collisions with cars and trucks.
We're fighting that development — just like we're fighting to maintain Florida panthers' status as an endangered species, a designation that gives them important legal protections.
The science is clear: Wildlife corridors and habitat protection are crucial to saving panthers. It's the same for other wide-ranging creatures, from California's mountain lions to humpback whales, who are being hemmed in by a crowded and fast-moving world.
Today the Florida panther is the only large feline remaining in the Southeast. If they're going to survive and recover, they must be fully protected under the Endangered Species Act — and their critical habitat secured.
Otherwise, simply by following their instincts to roam, they'll continue to risk death along Florida's roads.
The Center has been fighting for panthers for more than a decade, and we won't stop.
Please help today with a gift to the Saving Life on Earth Fund.
For the wild,
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