Florida panther deaths in 2024 the highest on record since 2016, Conservation Florida says
By Orange County
CHRISTMAS, Fla. — Conservation Florida, an environmental organization working to protect Florida’s natural habitat, is concerned after they said 32 Florida panthers died in 2024, setting a record for the highest death toll since 2016.
Traci Deen, president and CEO of Conservation Florida, said the root cause is overdevelopment.
While Deen said recent panther sightings in Central Florida prove they’re making their way along the Florida Wildlife Corridor, growth in the Sunshine State is also creating a cause for concern for the endangered big cats.
Florida panthers aren’t just down south anymore. They’re literally in our backyards now, Deen said.
“We think ‘oh that’s an everglades issue’ or ‘man, that’s very far away from where we are here in Central Florida.’ But it’s actually not. We have panthers here. We have panthers crossing our highway here,” Deen explained.
She said the state animal’s expansion from Southwestern Florida makes it a Central Florida issue now.
“Seeing Florida panthers north of the Caloosahatchee River is awesome news but when they are trying to travel and find a mate, and be here in their native habitat, we are seeing more and more and more deaths,” she expressed.
She warned that overdevelopment is causing the Florida panther to lose its vital habitat and safe passageways, leading to an increase in vehicle collisions.
Conservation Florida said the leading cause of death for these big cats is vehicle collisions.
However, one guaranteed solution to this problem, according to Deen, is land conservation and forming the Florida Wildlife Corridor of protected lands so that it can span the entire state.
“We have to protect land, and we have to do that strategically as our state grows and we are growing rapidly,” Deen said.
Even though she acknowledges that many people are flocking to the state of Florida annually, she said living in the Sunshine State also comes with the responsibility of being mindful of the vital habitats and nature that surround us.
According to Conservation Florida’s website, the corridor spans nearly 17.7 million acres across the state of Florida. And of those 17.7 million, 8.1 million acres are still in need of protection.
In order to make that happen, Deen emphasized it will take an all-hands-on deck approach.
“We need all Floridians to care about that and to get involved and by getting involved I mean join groups like Conservation Florida, join your local conservation groups or let your state leaders know that land conservation continues to be important to you,” Deen expressed.
Wildlife crossings, such as overpasses and underpasses, will also be a big part of the long-term solution to help provide safe passageways for animals like the Florida panther, Deen explained.
There are somewhere between 130 - 230 Florida panthers remaining in the state of Florida and the rest of the world.