This wild Florida panther (FP142) was photographed on the Mahogany Trail in Everglades NP. Photo / Mike Barnes

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s panther team has released its “Annual Report on the Research and Management of Florida Panthers.” Hikers and mountain bikers in western Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties should stay informed since they might encounter the large carnivore, which can weigh more than 150 pounds.

A sampling of panthers are captured and fitted with radio collars each year to answer specific research and management questions, said Mark Lotz, an FWC panther biologist who summarized the report for South Florida Adventures’ readers. “I think what people may find most interesting about the report are the tables and appendices. These contain a running list of information on individual panthers.”

Besides information on the panthers captured, the report presents details on panthers that have died, kittens that were born, and human-panther interactions.

Most human-panther interactions involve a panther killing someone’s pet or livestock, Lotz said. Several depredation events over the summer prompted the FWC to join forces with government and environmental organizations to pass out information packets about living with panthers. A total of 2,000 households were targeted in Golden Gate Estates, which southeast Florida residents pass while driving along Alligator Alley to Naples.

“Protecting one’s pets and livestock by securing them in a predator-proof enclosure, especially at night, is the best way to avoid problems with panthers,” Lotz added.

Removing the panther is not a long-term solution and panthers are not the only predator in Florida that will take advantage of an easy meal. The FWC says that excluding predators is the most effective way to prevent domestic problems.

Getting hit by cars continues to be one of the most documented forms of mortality for Florida’s panthers, which in western states are typically called mountain lions and in Texas are called cougars. Only about 100 panthers are estimated to be roaming in South Florida so every individual is important.

An even bigger strain is put on the population when females are killed, especially if they are raising kittens. This happened to Florida panther #158 in May, according to the report. She was struck by a vehicle and killed on Tamiami Trail near Collier Seminole State Park. She had two 2-month-old kittens. The FWC panther team spent several days looking for the kittens but was unable to find them.

Not all panther encounters involve the loss of pets or road kills. Many people search for panthers in their natural habitat.

“There was a time when there were so few panthers that seeing one in the wild was virtually impossible,” Lotz said. “But confirmed sightings are more common these days. People have seen them on boardwalks in Everglades National Park and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and on hiking trails in Big Cypress National Preserve and Collier Seminole State Park.”

Adventurers are more likely to see tracks than an actual panther. But Lotz’ top locations for seeing the cat include Long Pine Key in Everglades National Park, Loop Road and Bear Island Grade in Big Cypress National Preserve, and Jane’s Scenic Drive in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park.

“Being quiet and observant is the key,” Lotz says.

That, and a lot of luck.

To read the annual report, click here.

To learn what to do if confronted by a panther, click here.

This wild Florida panther (FP142) was photographed on the Mahogany Trail in Everglades NP. Photo / Mike Barnes

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s panther team has released its “Annual Report on the Research and Management of Florida Panthers.” Hikers and mountain bikers in western Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties should stay informed since they might encounter the large carnivore, which can weigh more than 150 pounds.

A sampling of panthers are captured and fitted with radio collars each year to answer specific research and management questions, said Mark Lotz, an FWC panther biologist who summarized the report for South Florida Adventures’ readers. “I think what people may find most interesting about the report are the tables and appendices. These contain a running list of information on individual panthers.”

Besides information on the panthers captured, the report presents details on panthers that have died, kittens that were born, and human-panther interactions.

Most human-panther interactions involve a panther killing someone’s pet or livestock, Lotz said. Several depredation events over the summer prompted the FWC to join forces with government and environmental organizations to pass out information packets about living with panthers. A total of 2,000 households were targeted in Golden Gate Estates, which southeast Florida residents pass while driving along Alligator Alley to Naples.

“Protecting one’s pets and livestock by securing them in a predator-proof enclosure, especially at night, is the best way to avoid problems with panthers,” Lotz added.

Removing the panther is not a long-term solution and panthers are not the only predator in Florida that will take advantage of an easy meal. The FWC says that excluding predators is the most effective way to prevent domestic problems.

Getting hit by cars continues to be one of the most documented forms of mortality for Florida’s panthers, which in western states are typically called mountain lions and in Texas are called cougars. Only about 100 panthers are estimated to be roaming in South Florida so every individual is important.

An even bigger strain is put on the population when females are killed, especially if they are raising kittens. This happened to Florida panther #158 in May, according to the report. She was struck by a vehicle and killed on Tamiami Trail near Collier Seminole State Park. She had two 2-month-old kittens. The FWC panther team spent several days looking for the kittens but was unable to find them.

Not all panther encounters involve the loss of pets or road kills. Many people search for panthers in their natural habitat.

“There was a time when there were so few panthers that seeing one in the wild was virtually impossible,” Lotz said. “But confirmed sightings are more common these days. People have seen them on boardwalks in Everglades National Park and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and on hiking trails in Big Cypress National Preserve and Collier Seminole State Park.”

Adventurers are more likely to see tracks than an actual panther. But Lotz’ top locations for seeing the cat include Long Pine Key in Everglades National Park, Loop Road and Bear Island Grade in Big Cypress National Preserve, and Jane’s Scenic Drive in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park.

“Being quiet and observant is the key,” Lotz says.

That, and a lot of luck.

To read the annual report, click here.

To learn what to do if confronted by a panther, click here.

Burmese python caught locally in the wild. Photo / Lori Oberhofer

Two Palm Beach County men were airboating in an Everglades canal on Monday when one saw a snake he recognized.

The Miami Herald’s outdoor writer Susan Cocking describes their encounter. “Having completed a ‘Pythons 101’ crash course given by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission less than an hour earlier, Vasquez recognized it as a Burmese python. He pointed it out to Mennine, who jumped out and grabbed it.

“‘It tried to bite me, but it bit itself,’ Mennine said. ‘I grabbed it by its head and threw it in a bag.’”

Later the men handed the snake to their FWC instructors.

“‘I can’t wait to do it again,’ a breathless Vasquez said. ‘I’m a newbie — my very first time. The training definitely helped me know what to look out for.’”

The FWC recently announced a special hunting season for reptiles of concern on state lands. Pythons are one of the many non-native species disrupting the Everglades.

To read Cocking’s colorful and informative article, click here. Log-in is required.

Swamp walking in the Everglades. Photo / Niki Butcher

From now until March, guided swamp walks are being offered off the Tamiami Trail, behind the Big Cypress Gallery of renowned Everglades photographer Clyde Butcher. Naturalist Rick Cruz guides a walk at 10 a.m. and another at 2 p.m. every Saturday. The cost is $75 per person, which includes a $25 credit in the gallery. Children under 18 are charged only $25 but get no credit in the gallery.

Reservations are required due to limited space. Visit ClydeButcher.com to sign up or contact jackie@clydebutcher.com

The Sierra Club of Miami is hosting a 3.4-mile hike off the Tamiami Trail on Feb. 13. Members and newcomers can participate.

Hikers will meet at the Oasis Ranger Station, off Tamiami Trail in the middle of the Everglades, then embark on the Robert’s Strand portion of the Florida Trail.

According to a club newsletter, “There we’ll hike south, wet or dry, about 3.4 miles, have lunch and backtrack to Oasis. We may get our feet wet and slosh through a pond on this section of the orange-blazed Florida Trail. This is Big Cypress Preserve in pristine condition. No swamp buggies allowed here, so bring hiking stuff and your own lunch for this potentially strenuous and varied walk amid cypress trees, slash pine, tall grass, saw palmetto, hammocks, wild flowers, orchids, air plants. We’ll look sharp for bald eagles and other natural sightings.”

The number of hikers is limited to eight and the cost is $10.

For details, contact Kaatje Bernabei at kaatjebernabei@bellsouth.net / 305-332-6551.

Fears of a new “super snake” surfaced in Miami-Dade after a recent state-coordinated hunt encountered five African rock pythons, including a 14-footer.

According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, scientists fear that a proliferation of the carnivorous serpent will endanger indigenous animals and possibly even humans. “In Africa, the rock python eats everything from goats to crocodiles. There have been cases of the snakes killing children.”

The article quotes an environmental official who says rock pythons are “bigger and meaner than the Burmse python.”

But also troubling is that these pythons might breed with Burmese pythons, leading to a new “super snake.”

Scientists estimate that up to 100,000 Burmese pythons are slithering throughout the Everglades and other local wetlands, devouring native fauna and scaring humans who are hiking, kayaking or relaxing in their backyards.

All pythons been released and/or escaped from shops and homes and have adapted well to South Florida’s warm, swampy region.

The largest python captured in South Florida weighed 207 pounds and was 17 feet long. A 9-foot pet python outside Orlando killed a child on July 2.

A North Fort Myers hunter hiked into the Everglades by himself and ended up lost for four days. He was rescued on Nov. 20.

The News-Press reports that Jamey Mosch, 30, “lost most of his clothes except his underwear, plus his shotgun, cell phone and other belongings in the Big Cypress National Preserve. His knee was thrown out of joint slogging his way through muck. He subsisted by eating raw catfish, bull frogs and sips of spring water before being found by a bloodhound named Max and his handlers.”

To read the report, click here.

Burmese python caught in northern Key Largo. Photo / Lori Oberhofer

According to the Associated Press, South Florida snake hunters caught 37 Burmese pythons during a trial hunting season to eradicate the non-indigenous reptile. In July state wildlife officials granted 15 permits to snake experts. The program ended on Oct. 31 but officials plan to start it again in 2010.

Meanwhile, hunters are still allowed to kill the snakes in designated areas.

Up to 100,000 Burmese pythons are slithering throughout the Everglades and other local wetlands, devouring indigenous animals and scaring humans who are hiking, kayaking or relaxing in their backyards.

The largest python captured in South Florida weighed 207 pounds and was 17 feet long. A 9-foot pet python outside Orlando killed a child on July 2.

Pythons have been released and/or escaped from shops and homes and have adapted well to the swampy region, breeding at will. So on July 15 Gov. Charlie Crist approved the program to hunt the carnivores.

Other non-native reptiles that hunters are allowed to cull include green anacondas, Nile monitor lizards and four more species of python.

All-terrain vehicle owners in South Florida for years have wanted open land to ride, without hassle. Now Miami-Dade Park And Recreation Department planners believe they’ve found just the spot, reports the Miami Herald.

“Supporters insist the proposed 1,608-acre park — just north of Tamiami Trail at the Collier-Miami-Dade line — will do the Everglades more good than harm by drawing ATVs from more pristine places,” states the Herald. “Environmentalists and regulators are dubious. Damage from swamp buggies and ATVs in the adjacent Big Cypress National Preserve have long been the subject of disputes and lawsuits.

To read the article, click here.

Photographer Clyde Butcher (with beard) is interviewed for a recently aired PBS show.

Nature photographer Clyde Butcher, renowned for his large black-and-white photographs of the Everglades, is exhibiting in Boca Raton until Nov. 8.

According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “Wilderness Visions” is now at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, offering 46 of the romantic and monochromatic pictures the self-taught Butcher has made since 1986.

“He selected these photographs, culled from a career that spans 30 years, after museum curator Wendy Blazier made a few requests: include iconic Florida images and also those Butcher captured while traversing back roads with a couple of hundred pounds of camera equipment and an equal load of patience,” wrote Sun Sentinel contributor Emma Trelles.