Save the Florida Panther Day in Collier County recognizes local conservation efforts

More than a million of Collier County’s land mass of 1.3 million acres are in the Florida Wildlife Corridor, an area providing essential habitat and connectivity for many of the state’s species such as the Florida panther. As the human population in the county grows rapidly and development expands, conservation of the Florida panther and other species remains a much-discussed issue.  

The third Saturday of March each year is designated as Save the Florida Panther Day in Collier County. A day that’s designated in state statute, March 18 of this year is meant to bring attention to the endangered species. 

The only subspecies of mountain lion that remains in the eastern portion of the United States, the Florida panther was added to the endangered list in 1967. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates that around 120 to 130 panthers are left in the wild. As an umbrella species, protecting the panther consequently conserves other wildlife that are threatened and endangered.  

To read more at Gulfshore Business, click here.