The panther is the state animal of Florida, the last big cat surviving east of the Mississippi River, and an emblem of the Endangered Species Act. It was driven to extinction in the eastern United States, except for a small remnant population that persisted in Florida's Everglades. Panther numbers had dwindled to fewer than 20 individuals by the 1980s, but heroic conservation efforts have helped panthers come back to nearly 200 today. The biggest obstacle for the panther's continued recovery is access to enough of its historic territory throughout Florida and beyond. The tale of the Florida panther has grown from the unlikely survival of a rare cat to a story of hope for all of wild Florida. Path of the Panther in now a call to action to recognize and protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor - a network of public and private land that connects the panther's current range in south Florida to suitable habitat throughout the state of Florida and adjoining states. The Florida Wildlife Corridor is the panther's path to recovery and a western-scale conservation opportunity that remains largely hidden in the east. It is now as a Last Wild Places partnership with the National Geographic Society. With 27 percent of Florida already protected as public land, this project aims to inspire the additional one million acres of conservation needed over the next decade so that Florida can be a leader in the goal of protecting 30 percent of the plane by 2030.

About the Author
Carlton Ward Jr. is a conservation photographer and National Geographic Explorer whose passion for nature was born from the Florida landscape. His mission is to inspire appreciation and protection of Florida's endangered wildness. In 2013, Ward founded Florida Wild, a media and production company working to elevate and protect wild Florida through strategic communications. The Path of the Panther project has been Ward's full-time focus since 2016, supported by grants from the National Geographic Society and numerous partners. Its purpose is to inspire a public and political movement to save the Florida Wildlife Corridor through the story of the endangered Florida panther. To learn more and support this project, please visit PathofthePanther.org.


Book Information
ISBN 9781426223624
Author Carlton Ward
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint National Geographic Society
Publisher National Geographic Society
Weight(grams) 1491g
Dimensions(mm) 259mm * 259mm * 26mm