Florida Panther Investigation-A 1978 Progress Report 1

Transcription

1 Florida Panther Investigation-A 1978 Progress Report 1 Robert C. Belden, Wildlife Research Laboratory. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Gainesville, Florida Abstract: -- The Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission initiated "3 Florida panther investigation in October 1978 by establishing a Florida Panther Record Clearinghouse, investigating panther reports and conducting special field searches. At least one panther population was found in the vicinity of the, Big Cypress Swamp, and the Everglades National Park. Additional study is required to determine its geographic limits and to determine whether it is truly viable in the sense that it contains the necessary number and age and sex structure for continued existence. The Florida panther, Felis concolor caryl, one of 30 subspecies presently recognized. originally ranged from eastern Texas or western Louisiana and the lower Mississippi River Valley east through the southeastern states, including Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama. Georgia. Florida, and parts of Tennessee and South Carolina (Goldman 1946). Present knowledge of the status of the subspecies over most of this area is questionable and depends to a large extent upon the reliability of sighting reports. If the Florida panther is to be saved from extinction, it would seem the first step would be to find a viable population. Other measures for its management depend largely upon that and cannot be pursued effectively until a population is found. In October 1976, the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission's Wildlife Research Laboratory initiated an investigation with the primary objective to find and delimit geographically, if possible. at least one population of Florida panther. We can now report that at least one population has been found. Additional study is required to determine its geographic limits and to determine whether it is truly viable in the sense that it contains the necessary number and age and sex structure for continued existence. This investigation was funded in part by grants from the National Wildlife Federation and by Shakar Safari. Inc. These grants were matched on a 2/3 to 1/3 basis by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Special acknowledgment goes to Lovett E. Williams. Jr. for criticism. advice, guidance. and support provided during the investigation; to Robert Baudy. owner of the Rare Feline Breeding Compound near Centerhill. Florida. for donating his time, facilities, and animals for plaster-casts of tracks from various sex and age classes of panthers; to Roy T. McBride, professional lion hunter. for his advice and time spent during a one-week visit to west Texas to learn to identify and interpret panther sign in the wild; to Rocky T. McBride. Steve Trupe. Tim Breault, Kent Reeves. Chuck McElvy. George Eddie. and Greg Hatfield for assistance in conducting field searches for panther signj and to James R. Brady. David H. Austin. and William B. Frankenberger for assistance in investigating sighting reports. Grateful appreciation also goes to all those who donated reports they had compiled. especially James N. 'Layne, Executive Director of Archbold Biological Station; Kenneth C. Alvarez, Interpretive Naturalist with the Florida Department of Natural Resources; S. D. Schemnitz. Head. Department of Forestry and Wildlife. New Mexico State University; James A. Kushlan. Sonny Bass, and Linda McEwan. Research Biologists. Everglades National Park; and Mrs. Dorothy Smith of Chiefland. 1/ A contribution of Federal Aid to Endangered Species Program. Florida Endangered Species Project E-l.! ()do", "/) (/ S"" {-,' ~.,.", :-) /~ r /"roc:eci?ij/n., 5~ 0-0«,'Z)"'/'1;' /i./~.t; /t':le..$ <.) i//; 123

2 PROCEDURES The procedures are shown diagramatically in Figure 1. This plan is based on the belief that where panthers are present they will leave recognizable sign that can be detected during field searches by qualified observers. Because of limited time and budget. only those areas that showed the greatest probability of containing sign were searched. These areas were selected by gathering and reviewin,g all available information and by investigating reports of panther sightings. A "Florida Panther Record Clearinghouse" was established at the Vlildlife Research Laboratory to collect and analyze panther reports. All reports are separated into "confirmed" and "unconfirmed" groups and assigned to one of five categories (Belden and Williams 1976). CONFIRMED RECORDS are in two categories: (1) dead or live-captured specimens; and (2) plaster track casts~ photographs of pa~thers or their tracks, or other documented sign that is positively attributable to a panther. While both types of evidence indicate the presence of the species, only the first (specimen) is available for examination as to subspecies. This is particularly important in view of the significant numbers of western mountain lions (pumas, cougars, etc.) held in captivity. some of which are known to escape from time to time--some even intentionally released. There is no way to distinguish tracks of wild Florida panthers from tracks of other subspecies. UNCONFIRMED REPORTS are those lacking documentation (no photographs. measurements. etc.). These are divided into two categories: (3) visual observations by especially qualified observers such as wildlife biologists, naturalists. and foresters; and (4) observations from less qualified persons. Yet a fifth "observation" category exists in the form of reports that were investigated by qualified persons and found to be unfounded, and the many completely uncredible reports, such as panthers in mid-city. eating from garbage cans. black panthers, etc. In order to advise the public as to what to report for each panther sighting, an article was written for Florida Wildlife Magazine (Belden 1977); interviews were held with the news media resulting in several newspaper articles and an article for National Wildlife Hagazine (Horan 1978). and assistance was given to the making of a movie for The National Audubon Society concerning Florida's endangered species. Meetings were held with all Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission wildlife biologists and many Department of Natural Resources personnel to explain the investigation and solicit their cooperation. A supply of record forms was given to each Regional Biologist to be sent to people who contact the Regional offices with panther reports. A day was spent at Robert Baudy's Rare Feline.Breeding Compound making plaster casts of captive panther tracks, and a week was spent in west Texas with Roy McBride. professional mountain lion hunter. to observe panther sign in the wild. Fifty plaster casts were made of tracks of four captive panthers at Robert Baudy's compound. These four included two kittens which weighed 8.4 kilograms (18~ pounds)apiece, two adult females--one approximately 57 kilograms (125 pounds) and one approximately 61 kilograms (135 pounds). During the week in west Texas many tracks, scrapes, and scats were observed. The knowledge gained from these experiences is used in investigating panther reports and in independent field searches. When a report is received at the Clearinghouse that is "fresh" and in any way convincing~ it is investigated as soon as possible. and the observer is interviewed. During this investigation, special effort is made to find panther sign in the vicinity of the observation. During July and August 1977 and June 1978, special field investigations were conducted. Myakka River State Park, Fisheating Creek Wildlife Hanagement Area and Refuge. Everglades National Park, State Preserve. Ocala National Forest, and the Big Cypress National Freshwater Preserve were searched during these investigations. Suitable roads. trails, and firelanes in each area were searched for tracks, scats. scrapes, kills, or other sign, mainlyiby walking. Horseback, swamp-buggy, and a slow-moving vehicle with an observer on the hood were also utilized. A record was kept of distance traveled and sign observed. These data were analyzed as to amount of sign found per mile fbr each area searched. RESULTS As of 30 June the Clearinghouse had receiv~d. categorized. and filed 752 panther record~ from within Florida (Table 1). Category 1 and 2 ("confirmed") records are presented in Tables! 2 and 3 and mapped in Figure 2. Forty-one panther reports have been investigated since initiation of the Clearinghouse by 124

3 evidence submitted to the Research Laboratory and by field investigation. Of these only onc (2%) provided conclusive evidence of a panther. Based on sign present and other information gained during investigations, 14 (35%) records were determined to have been made by dogs, eight (20%) by bobcats (Lvnx rufus), one (2%) by an otter (Lutra canadensis). one (2%) by a small bear (yrsus a;;ricanus), and one (2%) by a raccoon (Procyon lotor). In 15 (37%) no sign could be found to identify the animal in question. Results of the special investigations are presented in Table 4. DISCUSSION Based on results of the reports I have investigated as well as those other workers have investigated and related to me. it is my opinion that panther sighting reports without verified evidence, no matter how reliable they may sound or how reliable the observer may be, should be approached with caution when attempting to determine presence of the panther in any area. It is only through documentation of field sign that the presence of an animal can be objectively verified. The primary usefulness of sighting reports is in assigning priorities to areas to be searched for field sign. It should be kept in mind, however, that persistence in field searches may be necessary to verify presence of panthers. After the special field search in the Everglades National Park during this investigation, without finding evidence of the presence of panthers. Park personnel initiated a systematic pattern of field searches. They found the first documenting evidence six months after beginning field searches and have found evidence one other time. It is impossible to say at this point whether this length of time was due to difficult tracking conditions in the Park, or whether this evidence was left by a transient panther moving through from another area, such as the. According to Seidensticker et a1. (1973). a lion passes through three discrete behavioral stages as it grows older. These are kitten, transient adult, and resident adult. Kittens are dependent upon their mothers. and their movements are restricted to her home area. Once the young lion becomes independent. it roams with no attachment to any particular site. Hornocker (1970) recorded two transient males being killed more than 161 kilometers (100 miles) from their original capture site. Transients restrict their movements more and more when they find areas of adequate size and resources, and free of too many other residents. With site attachment, the lion enters the reprodu tive phase of its life and settles into its ad It sex role. It is iny opinlon that the Fakahatchee Strand and at least the eastern portion of the Big Cypress' Preserve contain a resident population of the! Florida panther, and that the many records outside these areas in south Florida may be the result of transients moving out of these populations!. A map showing a 161 kilometer (100 mile) radius circle around the Fakahatchee Strand is shown 1.n Figure 2. As can be seen, it is possible that sightings of panthers in areas such as Myakka River State Park and the Everglades National Park could be transients moving out of the Fakahatchee. As to why these transients do not settle in these other areas may be expl:ained by a hypothesis by Seidensticker et a1. (197.'3) as follows: "Consipering the lion's land tenure and mating system, we postulate that other lions,i particularly members of the opposite siex, are needed to ini.tiate attachment tio a site. From this hypothesis, one can predict an efficient colonization of newly created habitat or empty contiguous areas such as occur in large mountain masses where resident lions are close at hand and greatly delayed colonization in disjunct, isolated areas where the lack of residents in the region fails to release attachment to a site. Thi.s difference explains why, even though lions occasionally roam through areas!such as Yellowstone National Park, breeding population do not or have been so contrastingly slo\:j in re-establishing." Judging from the Hconfirmed" records, there may be a resident breeding population somewhere in north central Florida. However, we have been unable to locate it as of yet. RECOHHENDATIONS Intensive field searches should be made to ascertain habitat being utilized in the Fakahatchee Strand and the. Within these delimited areas, an effort should be made to!determine population "viability" as indicated by the number~ sex, size~ and age classes. Some of this infromation can be obtained from field sign; however. radio-telemetry may be the best way of determining the full limits of the habitat being utilized. I strongly recommend that those who would attempt to!determine the status of the panther anywhere within its historical range use only "confirmed ll records. 125

4 LITERATURE CITED Belden, R. C. and L. E. Williams, Jr Survival status of the Florida panther. Pages i~ Pritchard, P. C. H Proceedings of a Florida Panther Conference. March Florida Audubon Society and Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm. 121 pp. Belden, R. C Florida Wildl. If you see a panther. 31(3) : Goldman, E. A Page~ in Young, S. P q and E. A. Goldman The puma, mysterious American cat. Reprinted (1964) by Dover Publ., Inc., New York. 358 pp. Horan. J The search for the Flori,da panther. National Wildl. 16(4): Hornocker, M. G An analysis of mountain lion predation upon mule, deer and elk in the Idaho Primitive Area. WildJ. Monogr. No. 21:1-39. Seidensticker, J. C. IV, M. G. Hornocker, W. V. Wiles, and J. P. Messick Mountain lion social organization of the Idaho Primitive Area. Wildl. Monogr. No. 35:

5 Table 1. Panther records in Florida by county and category as of 30 June County Total County Total Alachua Lake Baker 1 2 Lee Bay 0 Leon 6 6 Bradford 1 1 Levy Brevard Liberty 0 Broward Madison 2 2 Calhoun 0 Manatee Charlotte Marion Citrus Martin Clay Monroe Collier Nassau Columbia Okaloosa Dade Okeechobee 1 1 DeSoto Orange Dixie 2 2 Osceola Duval 5 6 Palm Beach Escambia Pasco Flagler Pinellas 2 2 Franklin 0 Polk Gadsden Putnam Gilchrist St. Johns Glades St. Lucie Gulf 1 1 Santa Rosa 2 2 Hamilton 1 1 Sarasota Hardee Seminole I 1 Hendry Sumter 1 1 Hernando Suwannee Highlands /, Taylor Hillsborough Union 1 1 Holmes 0 Volusia 1 1 Indian River Wakulla 2 2 Jackson 1 2 Walton Jefferson 0 Washington 2 2 Lafayette 1 Unkno'WTl

6 Table 2. Category 1 panther records on file at the Florida Game and Fresh 'Water Fish Commission's Wildlife Research Laboratory. Date and Location Observer(s) and Evidence I. Spring 1967 Ocala National Forest Marion County 2. March 1968 Near Inverness Citrus County 3. February 1972 SR 25 south of Noare Haven Glades County 4. February 1973 Lykes Fisheating Creek WMA 5. 8 March 1978 Dade County Remains of an approximately 32 kilogram (70 pound) male dug up by the Flori~a Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission 45+ kil@gram (100+ pound) adult male killed by Deputy Sheriff Lloyd Shelton (Photograph in the Citrus County Chronicle). Large male struck by an automobile and shot by a Highway Patrolman (hide in the Florida State Huseum) Nine to ten year old female treed by Roy McBride's pack of eight dogs 44 kilogram (97 pound) subadu1t male Florida panther illegally killed. Arrest and conviction made by Wildlife Officer John Carter. 128

7 Table 3. Category 2 panther records on file at the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission's Wildlife Research Laboratory Date and Location Observer(s) and Evidence 1. Sometime between September 1975 Ocala National Forest Harion County 3. II February February 1977 Big Cyrpess Preserve Ken C. Alvarez made plaster casts of panther tracks. Mr. Walter Guer~eo, Mr. Robert C. Healy, and Dr. Bill Partington observed and photographed a panther. Plaster: casts were made of its tracks. Ken C. Alvarez made plaster casts of panther tracks. Mr. Dewitt Davis and George Hayes made plaster casts of panther tracks April 1977 Ken C. Alvarez collected 4 panther scats July July July August 1977 Fakanatchee Strand January January February 1978 Dade County March 1978 Everglades National Park Dade County March 1978 Rocky McBride, Steve Trupe, Chris Belden, Jim Brady, Ken Alvarez, and Bob Goble made photographs and plaster casts of panther tracks and scrapes. Ken C. Alvarez made photographs and plaster casts of panther tracks and scrapes. Ken C. Alvarez made plaster casts of panther tracks. Rocky Mc.Bride and Steve Trupe made plaster casts of panther- tracks Chris Belden and Bill Frankenberger made photographs and plaster casts of panther tracks. Ken Alvarez and Dr. Gain Baker made plaster casts of panther tracks. Sonny Bass and Dale Taylor photographed panther tracks and collected a scat. Bill and Rae Vorwald. Linda McEwan. and Sonny Bass made plaster casts of panther tracks. Linda McEwan and Sonny Bass made plaster casts of panther tracks 129

8 Table 3. Continued Date and Location Observer(s) and Evidence March 1978 Dade and Collier Counties April 1978 Everglades National Park Dade County May May June 1978 Dade County Linda McEwan and Sonny Bass made plaster casts of panther tracks. Dale Taylor made plaster casts of panther tracks. Linda McEwan and Sonny Bass made plaster casts of panther tracks. Ken C. Alvarez~ Dr. Steve Humphrey and Ken Wilkins made plaster casts of panther tracks and collected a scat. Ken Reeves. Chuck McElvy. and George Eddie made photographs and plaster casts of panther tracks. 130

9 Table 4. Summary of Florida panther sign found during field searches. Tracks Scats Scapes Total Nilesl Nilesl Nilesl Estimated Number Area Dates Miles Number Track Number SC'at Number Scrape of animals 7/13-14/ I 6.0 Myakka River State Park 7/19-22/ Fisheating Creek Refuge 7/25-31/ a 0.0 a Everglades National Park 8/1-5/ a 8/8-12/ Ocala National Forest 8/15-18/ a 0.0 a 0.0 a Dade County 6/5-10/ w - Seminole Indian Reservation 6/15/ /19-30/ a Totals

10 Figure 1. Block Diagram of Florida Panther Investigation. Priority list of areas to be searched based on the possibility of finding sign as determined from all presently available information Gather and review all presently available information Determine critical habitat for present panther population Locate and delineate present panther population Field searches for panther sign ltflorida Panther Record Clearinghouse"_-receive panther records from the Region and elsewhere Advise the public as to who to contact and what to report for each panther sighting Priority list of areas to be searched based on credible reports of panthers and their sign Analyze panther records as they are received and assign to validity catecategories Determine criteria for validity categories W N Write news releases, TV ads, posters, movies, etc. Write article for Fla. Ihldl. Mag. Brochures in Regional offices and elsehwere Have article reprinted as a brochure

11 '. o Category 1 Category 2 Lgure 2. Locations of "confirmed" panther records and a radius around the. one-hundred-sixty-on ' kilometer (l00 mile) 133