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Editorial: Do not take Florida panther off endangered list

 
Count this among the most shortsighted ideas to emerge from state wildlife protection bureaucrats in recent memory: They want the Florida panther to be removed from the federal endangered species list.
Count this among the most shortsighted ideas to emerge from state wildlife protection bureaucrats in recent memory: They want the Florida panther to be removed from the federal endangered species list.
Published June 12, 2015

Count this among the most shortsighted ideas to emerge from state wildlife protection bureaucrats in recent memory: They want the Florida panther to be removed from the federal endangered species list. Apparently, 150 to 250 Florida panthers are just too many. This is the wrong move for Florida and for the panthers, and it could reverse decades of work aimed at protecting the animals.

Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, will propose asking for the weakened protections at the commission's June 23 meeting. A growing panther population has led to attacks on farm animals and encroachment into residential areas, prompting calls to ease the protective criteria and allow the state to kill panthers it sees as a nuisance. The increase in panthers, whose population was once as low as 20 to 30, has led to more interactions between panthers and people, drawing complaints about safety. There are also concerns that more free-roaming panthers could hinder land development. Federal law protects panthers from being hunted, while Florida law makes killing a panther a third-degree felony.

State officials want the animal's population management to be under their control. Wiley is asking the commission to request that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service remove its requirement of two additional panther populations of 240 animals each to be established before the animals can be considered for removal from the endangered species list. This is a foolish idea that would harm Florida's still-fragile panther population, and if commissioners back it then federal officials should reject the request.

Although the number of Florida panthers may be increasing, their population is far from stable. Since 2014, 51 panthers have died, primarily in vehicle accidents. And despite current federal protections, panther shootings are on the rise. Removing the animals from the endangered species list would make it easier for Floridians — especially ranchers and developers — to kill any panthers they view as a problem.

If commissioners want to tackle the issue, they should look at protecting panther habitats rather than limiting their population. Environmentalists have advocated creating a more secure space for panthers by developing a wildlife corridor that would run from the Everglades to Georgia and Alabama. Participants at a January 2014 meeting of the Florida Panther Recovery Implementation Team also discussed a promising idea to pay Central Florida landowners to make their property appealing to panthers. Working to establish a second panther population would be another good place to start.

The answer to protecting panthers is not less protection, and the state cannot be trusted to use additional discretion wisely. Wildlife commissioners should reject this ill-conceived proposal to ease federal protections for panthers. It's difficult to balance panther protection efforts with safety concerns as the population increases, but reducing federal regulation is not the answer.