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FWS personnel will band the
tranquilized panther for
research purposes.
J & K Hollingsworth/FWS |
The Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge was established in June 1989 on 26,400 acres of land in Collier County, near Naples. The refuge contains 15,000 acres of woodland and 11,4000 acres of mixed swamp and prairie. This land provides a safe environment for the panther and 24 other species of mammals, birds and reptiles that are state or federally listed as threatened, endangered or of special concern. The Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge links together lands that the panther occupies, such as the Big Cypress National Preserve and the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, which facilitates panther movement and limits access and disturbance from human activities.
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A panther is given a thorough health exam before release.
J & K Hollingsworth/FWS |
Although the Florida Panther Refuge is closed to the public to protect the highly vulnerable and skittish animal and its prey, the refuge is working on the implementation of an environmental education program to promote the Florida panther and the south Florida ecosystem. The habitat and management that the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge provides is crucial to the future of the Florida panther, the most endangered animal in the world.
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