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 [...]

  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 [...]

  On Aug. 15 the annual alligator harvest was launched by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Hundreds of hunters and their friends and relatives gathered at the Belle Glade Marina where they celebrated with a festival atmosphere that included lots of country music and airboats. The hunt continues until Nov. 1. State wildlife officials [...]

  As of Aug. 29, hunters of deer, hogs or alligators are now allowed to kill Burmese pythons on public land, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Up to 100,000 of the non-native snakes are slithering throughout the Everglades and other wetlands, devouring indigenous animals and scaring humans who are hiking, kayaking [...]

  Biologists from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found a dead panther June 12 at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, a site west of Big Cypress National Preserve. “During their morning tracking flight, they received a mortality signal from a tracking device on the 7-year-old female panther,” the Naples News reports. “When they [...]