It’s NATIONAL WILDLIFE WEEK, and: Returning the Florida Panther to the Everglades
In honor of National Wildlife Week, March 18-24, here’s a special and rare event from last week:
A Florida panther was recently released into the Picayune Strand State Forest — a rare event, in a bid to help save the species. The tagged female will hopefully become a safe and successful mommy!
She and her brother were raised from the age of five months at the White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee, rescued after their mother was found dead.
Rescued Florida Panther at Flamingo Gardens: Sadly, this guy can’t be returned to the wild, because he underwent a painful de-clawing procedure at the hands of humans
Florida panthers were among the first to go on the Endangered Species List back in 1973 when there were as few as 20 remaining individuals. Today they are still in great peril with as few as 100-160 in the wild, but biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) successfully released one female Florida panther into the Picayune Strand State Forest recently with the hope that she will become a successful mom.
So much luck to this girl (and to her soon-to-be-released brother!) – AND so many thanks for the continued rescue and conservation efforts the world over!
Another panther rescue: De-clawing exotic cats is still permitted, unbelievably. It causes extreme pain and lameness, and requires constant pain regulation. Horrific “legal” state minimum enclosure requirements for bears, big cats, and other wild animals (envision a tiny jail cell) are also allowed
FeyGirl
Serenity Spell 