Florida wildlife officials say the growth of Florida’s panther population in the past two decades should be enough for its designation as endangered to be reconsidered.
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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is calling for more federal involvement in managing the state’s growing panther population.
During an interview with local reporters on Friday, FWC executive director Nick Wiley said that the recovery of the Florida panther is heading toward a different chapter.
The Florida wildlife commissioner is a part of a group who is looking for permit to kill a number of panthers only if they get in the way of plans for their land.
Officials from the agency, however, said that they do believe that the criteria set by federal representatives should be reviewed regarding the removal of the endemic panther from the endangered list as well as the responsibilities of the FWC on such matters.
Yet the panther population is being impacted by the human population in South Florida that has moved into the animal’s natural habitat. This matter was mentioned in a revision of a paper on draft policy.
The original draft of the policy paper was presented to commissioners last June but was tabled until September so agency staffers could provide more input. The current criteria set by federal officials require establishing two populations of at least 240 panthers outside southwest Florida.
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Kipp Frohlich, deputy director of FWC explained that it is of utter importance to maintain the public’s support for efforts that address the conservation of Florida panthers. Part of maintaining broad public support is recognizing when you have wildlife conflicts. The new version removes language that said today’s panther populations were a strain on landowners and residents in the area due to accidents on roadways and the killing of livestock.
