Florida Panther's Need Your Help

The Florida panther is in big trouble.

Past human persecution and ongoing habitat loss have pushed the Florida panther into only 5 percent of its historic range.

Fewer than 100 survive today, and 10 have died so far this year alone.

Time is running out for the Florida panther. Please send a message right now to tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to do all it can do to recover the Florida panther.

Officials are close to completing a management plan for the Florida panther, and we need your help to ensure it does all it can to protect this majestic great cat.

If the federal management plan doesn't provide the strongest protections possible -- including checking the out-of-control development that is driving this great cat to extinction -- we could lose the Florida panther forever.

Florida panthers face tough challenges to their very survival.

The loss, degradation, and fragmentation of panther habitat are among the greatest threats to panther survival. Urbanization, residential development, conversion of lands for farming and logging, mining and mineral exploration, and the lack of land use planning that recognizes panther needs all threaten the Florida panther's existence.

Being struck by vehicles is also an important cause of panther fatalities. Such accidents have claimed the lives of at least five panthers so far this year.

Please send your message today to let federal officials know that you expect them to do all they can to prevent the extinction and promote the recovery of these great cats.

Public comments are due Monday, April 3, so please take action now!

This may be our last opportunity to give the Florida panther a fighting chance as the Southeast continues to develop and our natural areas disappear forever. But with your help, we can help ensure that these critters have a fighting chance.

Sincerely,

Laurie Macdonald, Director
Defenders of Wildlife's Florida office
233 Third Street North
Suite 201
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Tel: 727-823-3888

P.S. Forward this e-mail to five of your friends, family members or neighbors...