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Photo by Ralph Arwood
A 4-year-old female panther is released back into the wild in 2005 after recuperating for 10 months from injuries suffered after a vehicle struck it at Turner River Road along U.S. 41 East in eastern Collier County. Within 48 hours, the cat was hit again at the same spot and, this time, was killed. The panther has become a symbol of the need for further action to reduce vehicle collisions with panthers at Turner River, environmental groups say. Another female panther was killed there Wednesday.
NAPLES — The death of a 3-year-old female Florida panther struck by a car Thursday morning in the Big Cypress National Preserve is heightening calls for action to reduce panther deaths along a stretch of U.S. 41 East.
“Something needs to be done,” Defenders of Wildlife Florida representative Elizabeth Fleming said.
Since 1984, eight panthers have been struck by vehicles along the same 2.5-mile stretch of highway on either side of Turner River; five of them have been killed, including this week’s death.
Six of the incidents, including four of the deaths, have occurred since 2004, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission records.
Defenders has been working for the past year with various state and federal agencies to design a wildlife crossing for the panther death hot-spot but there is no time to wait any longer, Fleming said.
She said slower speed limits (a 45 mph limit already is in place but only at night), speed bumps, cameras to catch speeders, warning lights and trailers to clock vehicle speeds are needed “right now.”
The Florida Department of Transportation plans to meet with Defenders next week to talk about alternatives, DOT spokeswoman Debbie Tower said.
“We’re very interested in sitting down with them and discussing it further,” Tower said.
The DOT awarded Defenders a $675,000 grant to pay for planning and design of the crossing, which a University of Florida researcher identified as a prime location in 2000.
A conceptual design involves building one underpass, about 24-feet wide and 8-feet tall, east of the Turner River bridge. A smaller underpass, about 14-feet wide and 7-feet tall, west of the bridge.
The designs and alternatives are expected to be discussed further at a public workshop later this spring or summer.
Wildlife crossings have taken years to get built in other parts of panther country and can cost millions of dollars a piece.
For example, six crossings were proposed along State Road 29 in 1991. It took until 2007 to get them all built.
The Turner River crossings face not only likely funding constraints, but the crossings have run into opposition from preserve users concerned about fencing along 41 and from an Indian tribe with a sacred cultural site nearby, Fleming said.
An estimated 100 panthers are left in the wild, most of them in Southwest Florida, making the big cats among the most endangered animals on the planet.
So far this year, five panthers have been killed on Southwest Florida roads — and biologists are holding their breath at the Turner River site.
Another female panther with three kittens has been tracked this spring crossing that stretch of U.S. 41 , Big Cypress National Preserve wildlife biologist Deborah Jansen said.
“There’s a good possibility these panther deaths are going to continue in that area,” Jansen said.
A mixed hardwood hammock along Turner River provides cover for panther and naturally funnels them toward U.S. 41; on top of that, roads cross the canal north of U.S. 41 in that area, providing a dry route for panthers to take, Jansen said.
Four of the five panthers killed at Turner River have been young females, which strikes at the heart of the population’s reproductive component, she said.
Fewer females means less likelihood one will cross the Caloosahatchee River in Lee County to establish a breeding population north of the river, a key to panther recovery, experts say.
It is unclear whether the panther killed Thursday had kittens, which almost certainly would not survive in the wild on their own.
In 2004, a female panther was injured after getting hit by a vehicle in the collision hot zone on U.S. 41.
Three weeks later, with the mother in captivity for rehabilitation, one of her underweight kittens was killed crossing U.S. 41 in the same spot. A sibling also is believed to have died but was never found.
Ten months later, the mother panther was released back into the wild, only to return to Turner River, probably looking for the kittens she left behind, biologists say.
Within 48 hours of her release, she was hit again along U.S. 41 and, this time, killed.
Jansen said the only interim measure to deter the panther death toll at Turner River would be reducing the day-time speed limit along that part of U.S. 41 to 45 mph.
Two of the panther collisions at that spot, including Thursday’s incident, have happened in daylight.
Even with the reduced speed limit, officers cannot enforce the speed limit around-the-clock, Jansen said.
“To me, the only solution to the problem is an underpass and fencing,” she said.
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Comments » 23
Ben_Eaten writes:
I know where to get some cheap drywall to build an underpass.
mudbug54 writes:
i am sorry mrs tower you nor your organazation have an accurate count of panthers. before you and your group start saying what our speed limits need to be maybe your group should start looking at all the golf clubs east of 951 and all of the land they have chased the panthers from............ ohhhhh forgot you live in one
swamp4ever writes:
I'm sure all of this commotion is caused by the increase in traffic to the new Turner River Boat Launch......maybe the launch should be shut down until the proper environmental impact studies are done.
Zoey writes:
I'm forever amazed by how quickly the wildlife-haters jump on stories like this.
flanative writes:
Zoey:
I'm not. I once stopped on Vanderbilt Beach Rd to rescue a turtle that was attempting to cross, and got yelled at by an (alleged) human who said, "For a turtle?!?!?!" I am still flabbergasted by that question, because of course, the correct answer is "yes". You stop and help ANY helpless creature, up to and including human beings. I mean, where was his line? He wouldn't stop for a turtle, would be stop for a dog? A cat? A bird? A human child?
And by the way, before everyone jumps down my throat, I was completely off the road. I had signaled BEFORE I pulled over, I put my hazards on, and before going onto the road surface to pick up the turtle, I signaled oncoming traffic to drive around it.
This was back when Vanderbilt near Airport was only one lane each way.
lswjth2 writes:
The more Texas Cougars are killed, the better for the Deer, Possums, Raccoons, etc. Why are the " Destructors of Humanlife" have to even be consulted? Last time i checked they are not a Government entity, just a bunch of Liars and communist that want to impose their view of utopia on the rest of us. Nancy Payton when are you finally going to show us how much the check was for from the Bonita Bay Group?????
whizzer writes:
Panther recoups for 10 months, goes back to "allegedly" try to find her cubs who we just KNOW she still remembers after all of these months and within 48 hours is killed in the same spot she was originally hit in.
What a stupid cat!
bluestreak writes:
First of all, lets not get mad at the "Defenders"...they can't help it if they haven't a clue.
The people to blame are the officials who mindlessly and breathlessly do everything in their power to abide by the wishes of the few among us. It is time that the rest of us stood up and said "STOP!!!" to those officials.
The "Defenders" can bemoan all they want and print whatever literature they choose. Our response should be 'Thanks for your concern and we will look into it'.
Which reminds me whatever happened to the $600,000+ in grant money? Does anyone know if an accounting has been made public?
beatbyagirl writes:
#7 predators such as the panther are needed to keep the populations of the animals you mentioned under control. It's called balance. Nature does a pretty good job of maintaining it, even with all our intrusion.
#8 I'm not thinking it's a "dumb" animal that returns to its home. Probably instinct is a better term.
Is it really that hard to install speed bumps and lower the speed limit through this area until funds are available to build alternate panther route? I've read that these under/over passes have been quite successful elsewhere. Sounds like a minor inconvenience to help out a native inhabitant (even if it's managed to pick up some cougar DNA)
Zoey writes:
For flanative and indigo, yes, it's common human decency to move an animal who doesn't understand the concept of automobiles off the road. Those who would criticize your actions are the simpler minds who see the world in black and white, rather than in shades of gray. They often comment here. For example, if we support preservation of the panther, manatee, and woodpecker, we are somehow attacking their "rights" to shoot, fish, ride ATVs and jet-ski any blasteded place they please, because the bible says they have dominion over all, etc., etc., and dang it, they's high-school graduates.
news_hound1 writes:
Why be negative about this, and try and protect them? They are endangered, it's us that are the intruder to the habitat.
However, if you do get one, they are great medium well, with a tangy barbecue sauce, and cole slaw ..... just kidding.
Max_Headroom writes:
Newshound, What are you talking about? I am not intruding on it's habitat!
I have lived in Collier County for the last 16 years, that panther had only been alive for 3 years.
Who's was intruding on whom?
news_hound1 writes:
#17 - So as the alternative .... medium well with barbi sauce then.
Get real.
CoolridenJoe writes:
How can we be intruders, the earth is the natural habitat of everything living on it!
Minority writes:
25 years,5 dead panthers. I like those odds!
CoolridenJoe writes:
prometheus, I believe you’ve seen 1 x-men movie to many! The people in the x-men movie our just actors you know! prometheus do you wear aluminum foil on your head and talk to space aliens?
tootsie writes:
We got the cougars from Texas and pretend they are the original Florida Panthers. The Panthers died out a while back from various health problems. The original Panthers were seldom seen and were a smaller cat.
I read some of the studies and stats... and they refused to publish the blood tests on these so-call Panthers which are actually Texas Cougars. That is telling don't ya think? How much more money do we sink into a Texas cat?
The Texans are laughing their heads off and tell Florida to take all the Cougar cats they want. Cougars are shot in Texas because they eat livestock... yet we put a halo on their heads here and pretend they are the original Florida panther... go figure
I am all for saving the ORIGINAL Florida Panther but not an imported cougar from Texas! The original Florida Panthers all died out...
Ben_Eaten writes:
Hey Tootsie,
What is your definition of "original?" Do you mean a time before humankind reduced and isolated panther populations and they naturally interbred with the Eastern Cougar (now extinct) to the north and the Texas Panther to the west? That would seem to be "original" to me. I suppose you prefer the artificially created (through habitat destruction and slaughter), isolated and inbred remains of a population riddled with health and genetic defects doomed to the same fate as its northern cousin.
colt7 (Inactive) writes:
Send the cougars back to Mexico/Texas.
pcgear writes:
1: Does anyone know for sure if this was an imported cat or a native?
2: The numbers of struck cats may be inflated, after all at least one cat was struck twice. Each cat struck should only count once no matter how many times it gets hit.
3: The group that is OK with abortion (IE as your not really killing babies) will however count a kitten among the 5 cats that have died.
wes writes:
30 mph speed limits and no heavy commercial through truck traffic is what I'm pushing for.
Eliminate the roadkill.
I would suggest that the few people here locally and otherwise interested in wildlife protection for the everglades area to download the comments of our local anti- panther people and send them to the state and federal agencies.
This will let them know that many activist locals here don't care and in fact hate the panther and despise wildlife protection and veiw it as a threat to their convenience.
It also proves that there is a strong religous element here that beleives animal rights is immoral and conflicts with their anti- abortion agenda. A mixture that controls Collier County politics and outside protection from the State and federal government along with national interest will be needed to save the panther as the locals are unwilling.
Keep up the writing fellow Collier Citizens and tell them what you think.
We need your help.
catherineturley writes:
i wonder if there's some way to install light signals that could flash when they pick up a signal in the cats' radio collars (assuming many are collared).
gladesman writes:
Motorists traveling US 41 better fear the questionable designs recommended by Defenders of Wildlife that Florida Department of Transportation(FDOT) is being forced to consider. The eastern u-pass between Turner River Rd. and Turner River bridge will have autos going downhill as they have to brake for folks turning onto Turner River Rd. or into the poorly designed NPS canoe launch.
The Western u-pass will create the same new hazard for vehicles making 90 degree turns into Trail Lakes Campground and the NPS canoe launch from the other direction.
These design defects will without doubt increase the risk of serious or God forbid fatal (rear-end and T-bone)accidents in this area. FDOT will probably be drawn into lawsuits over this since they will be the agency allowing public safety to be seriously compromised here.
FDOT's own statistics show that many wrecks in this area are caused by 90 degree turns from the highway.
FDOT has already said they will not install gates in the fence to facilitate foot access to Big Cypress because it would cause them to be sued eventually.
If FDOT so worried about that they better be alot more worried over increased vehicular downhill momentum problems being created for motorists attempting to stop for those vehicles turning into 3 popular tourist attractions within the project footprint.
It is a sad day when any animal is killed by a vehicle but we cannot allow any solution to jeopardize human public safety.
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