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I’m pleased to announce that the Protect the Panther License Plate will soon have a new design featuring a stunning photograph taken by photographer Carlton Ward in 2018 of a now-famous female and her kitten.
Florida panthers are native to Florida, and most are found south of Lake Okeechobee. Panthers are listed as an endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act, and there are approximately 120-230 adult panthers in the population.
The adult female panther pictured on the plate is well known because she is the first female documented north of the Caloosahatchee River since 1973. She is also the first female documented to have had kittens north of the river in more than 40 years. For many years, the Caloosahatchee River appeared to be a major obstacle to the northward movement of female panthers and the natural expansion of the population.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) worked with photographer Carlton Ward and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida to design the new plate, which should be available later this year for purchase.
The Protect the Panther license plate fees go directly into the Florida Panther Research and Management Trust Fund. The trust fund is the key source of funding for the state’s panther-related research, rescue and conservation activities. Through the long-term public support of the trust fund, critical information gained from the FWC’s monitoring and research efforts continues to provide biologists and the public with timely, science-based information needed to guide current and future conservation actions.
Through effective research and management, the FWC and conservation partners have made significant progress toward the recovery of the endangered Florida panther. Over the past three decades, the trust fund has paid almost entirely for all aspects of the FWC’s panther work, and the program relies upon sales of the license plate to continue these conservation efforts. To learn more about the Florida panther and the FWC’s efforts to conserve Florida’s state animal, visit MyFWC.com/Panther
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