A review of the Status of Florida Panthers (Puma concolor coryi) in Big Cypress National Preserve 1981–2003 and a Summary of the 2003 Panther Capture Season
Jansen D, Schulze S, McBride R, Blankenship E. 2003. A review of the Status of Florida Panthers (Puma concolor coryi) in Big Cypress National Preserve 1981–2003 and a Summary of the 2003 Panther Capture Season
This report is a compilation of information obtained between 1981 and 2003 on Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) in Big Cypress National Preserve south of interstate 7 (SBICY), the current study area for panther research and monitoring conducted by the National Park Service (NPS). Annual survey efforts, initiated in 1978, revealed that only a few panthers inhabited the study area. When FWC began a panther monitoring program using radio-telemetry in 1981, their capture efforts focused where panther sign was most abundant, i.e., the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park (FAKA), the Bear Island and Com Dance Units of Big Cypress, and private lands. In the first 8 years of capture work, only 2 males were caught in SBICY and 1 female was treed but left unhandled because of her poor condition. The National Park Service commenced survey and capture work in SBICY in 1988 to ascertain why there was an apparent scarcity of panthers there. A cooperative effort between NPS and FWC provided an increasing sample of collared panthers with which to assess their status in SBICY. Today, with the panther population's expansion in SBICY, National Park Service' involvement in panther research has also increased. Currently all panther-related work, including planning, funding, capturing, and monitoring in SBICY is conducted by NPS under an Endangered Species Permit from FWS and a Special Purpose Permit from FWC.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Jansen, Deborah; Schulze, Steve; McBride, Rocky; Blankenship, Emmett
- Date of Issue
- 2003-09-15
- Units
- BICY
- Keywords
- Capture, Florida Panther Monitoring, Monitoring, Radio-Telemetry, Survey