Two Florida species may be extinct
(Posted October 16, 2011 07:40 am)
By Les Coleman
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The South Florida rainbow snake and Florida fairy shrimp may have names that sound magical, but the magic may have run out for both of them. A National Wildlife Federation (NWF) report confirms the two unique Florida species are gone forever and, according to Florida NWF General Counsel Preston Robertson, the Florida panther and the manatee could be next.
"The
manatee, whose numbers fluctuate up and down our coast
and - the other one, of course, is our state symbol -
the Florida panther, which used to exist all over the
southern United States but is now confined to the
counties of southwest Florida."
Only about 100 Florida panthers are known to live in the
wild, and the species has been on the endangered list
since the 1970s. The manatee, also known as the sea cow,
has been listed as endangered since the late 1960s.
Panther and manatee habitat has increasingly been
threatened by development, says Robertson, adding that
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released
research indicating the most crucial and vulnerable
panther habitats are currently in Collier and Hendry
counties.
"Not to talk politics, but up until the present
administration, there was a lot of effort made to
protect land, to preserve habitat for the panther, also
for water quality protection."
Wildlife preservation advocates point out that if fading
panther and manatee populations are protected, the
result is that habitat is also protected for bears and a
host of other creatures, as well as preserving places
where people can enjoy nature, bird-watch, hunt, and
fish.