$15,000 reward offered to find who shot and killed Florida panther

A female Florida panther was shot and killed in April in Hendry County, and wildlife officials are still trying to find out whodunit. State and federal investigators treat the crime just like a murder mystery, according to the St. Petersburg Times. (Hi, Craig Pittman!) Groups have now come forward with reward money -- $15,000 worth -- to find the killer.

It has been illegal to shoot a panther in Florida since 1958, the article said.

Florida panthers are highly endangered, with only about 100 of them living in the state.

Peregrine falcon

The state of Florida is preparing to take the peregrine falcon off its endangered species list, according to Florida Today. The Audubon Society of Florida said it supports delisting but is still concerned to see the bird be protected.

Peregrine falcons spend winters in Florida and were delisted from the federal Endangered Species List in 1999. Find out more about them in the article.

Right whales face challenges in Florida waters

U.S. Navy exercises and the resulting concern for marine animals isn't new. Usually, you hear about sonar possibly causing marine mammals like dolphins and whales to beach themselves despite the Navy's insistence sonar doesn't do any harm.

Navy exercises off Florida's eastern coast and in the Gulf of Mexico, which are close to being approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service, could cause two million deaths of marine mammals each year, according to the current issue of Right Whale News, a newsletter produced by the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium. That number is the Navy's own estimate, according to the article.

Right whale proponents are alarmed because an undersea warfare training site could be located off Jacksonville -- key calving grounds for the North Atlantic right whale, which numbers only in the hundreds. And considering a record number of the whales have been entangled this winter (calving season) off the Florida and Georgia coasts where the whales give birth, according to The Boston Globe, this is even more bad news for the highly endangered species.

The Right Whale News article reported, "The Navy has rejected a long list of mitigation measures that could reduce the harmful impacts of its sonar training, including seasonal restrictions during the right whale calving period and geographic exclusions of the right whale calving ground." See the article for more details.

Image from North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium site

Whooping cranes head to Florida for 8th year

It's whooping crane time again. The experimental migratory flock of cranes are following an ultralight from Wisconsin to Florida for the eighth year. The cranes are raised from chicks to learn to follow the ultralight, then when fall arrives, they fly from their home in Necedah National Wildlife Refuge to Florida's central-western coast. (They usually end up at Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge one way or another.) Previous years' cranes now number 68, according to the article linked above, and those cranes will make their way south on their own.

The idea is to establish a flock of migratory whooping cranes in the eastern U.S. A flock already exists toward the west and winters in Texas. There is also an experimental non-migratory flock of whooping cranes that stays in Florida.

You can follow the cranes' migration on a map at the Operation Migration Web site.

I started following this story when the researchers first tried to get sandhill cranes to follow an ultralight, which was the year before they proceeded with the endangered whooping cranes. So ... holy cow, does that mean the EcoFlorida site is almost 10 years old?! Yes. I started it in 1999. Whoa....

A whole new meaning to the phrase "chick patrol"

Volunteers have been hanging out around an Albertson's supermarket with nets to catch any wayward falling least tern chicks, Tampa Bay 10 reports. That's because the endangered birds have been nesting on top of the St. Pete-area store, apparently due to beaches -- their usual nesting grounds -- being too crowded.

A new way to protect manatees

Manatees meet an untimely death in collisions with watercraft and also with flood gates and boat locks. A new "underwater acoustic system" (fancy talk for a way to tell if a manatee is passing by) can keep manatees from being squished by closing locks, at least. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute developed the idea, according to Science Daily. The article there has all the science and how-it-works nitty gritty -- check it out!

Could I have seen a Florida panther?

A reader writes:

"Hello, Are there Florida panthers in central-western Florida? I live in Tampa in a very woodsy area and spotted a panther. I know it may not sound believable, but it was around 8 pm and still bright out. It was in plain sight, and we had a few minutes of staring at each other before my barking dog scared it off. Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks, Marsha"

Most of the time when people think they see a panther, they really see a bobcat, experts say. That's because there are fewer than 100 Florida panthers living in the state, and most of them are in southwestern Florida. However, even though it's not likely, it's possible you saw a panther. Florida panthers have been known to cross I-4. Some residents as far north as Daytona Beach think they have seen a panther around. Panthers can roam quite far.

Visit the News-Press Web site to track collared Florida panthers.

Florida panther tracking collars give insight into life, death

Tracking collars help Florida panther researchers keep an eye on individual panthers and the population as a whole. And when you use collar-tracking information to look at the panthers' movements across the state, it's even more telling, according to this article in the News-Press. Read the article to learn the history of panthers in Florida and also the almost soap-opera-like lives panthers lead. No, really!

I should add the News-Press -- in Florida panther territory in southwestern Florida -- has a great section on its Web site all about Florida panthers. Here, you can track the panthers for yourself (really cool!), see Florida panther photos, read articles and learn about births and deaths in the Florida panther population.

Manatee deaths linked to red tide residue

Red tide-tainted sea grass has been linked to the deaths of 27 manatees whose bodies were found in Lee County waters in late March and early April, unusual for such a large number of animals to die when red tide is not present in the water - April 22, Lakeland Ledger

Feds: Manatee has rebounded from brink of extinction

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday recommended upgrading the manatee's status from endangered to threatened, a move that indicates the animal has rebounded from the brink of extinction; the manatee remains protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, making it illegal to harass, poach or kill the animals - April 9, Associated Press

Panther deaths bring this year's total to 8

A 2-year-old panther became the eighth to die this year after being plowed over on Interstate 75 in south Lee County late last week - April 2, Naples Daily News

Deaths of 26 manatees linked to red tide

State officials are waiting to see whether red tide is the main culprit in the deaths of 26 manatees in western Lee County in the past two weeks, including four that were found Monday - April 3, News-Press

Bystanders help state crews save three manatees

State wildlife officials helped save three manatees Monday afternoon, but they didn't do it alone; they got help from some people having lunch at Cape Harbour - March 26, NBC2 News

Panther hit on I-4 roamed far from home

The Florida panther found dead Wednesday on Interstate 4 was thought to be one of the famed "leaping kittens" captured on film during its youth in one of the most beloved wildlife photographs of the rare breed - March 22, Orlando Sentinel

Crocs make a comeback

For the past two decades, the plight of the endangered American crocodile could be symbolized by a lone female at Sanibel Island's Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge; while she lays eggs, year after year, there are no male crocodiles in the area to fertilize them - March 21, Sarasota Herald Tribune

Wildlife officials crack down on people bothering manatees

Federal and state wildlife officials say they're watching the waters where manatees swim in Citrus County after receiving hundreds of complaints over the past few days that some people are harassing the animals; the complaints stem from footage recently posted on the Internet showing people standing on manatees and trying to ride the large aquatic mammals - March 13, Gainesville Sun

Wood storks nesting on Caloosahatchee Island

Nesting season has begun at tiny Lenore Island in the Caloosahatchee River, where boat traffic and automobile noise have made this an unlikely breeding spot for the endangered storks - Feb. 28, News-Press

Troubled waters for manatees?

Sea cows call the warm waters near energy facilities home. Scientists fear that if a plant closes, those animals might not head to springs or migrate to South Florida - Feb. 26, Orlando Sentinel

Surviving whooping crane to stay in the wild

The sole survivor of the whooping crane "Class of 2006" will be allowed to stay free in the wild but will be closely monitored; strong storms killed the 17 other birds that were with it - Feb. 6, St. Petersburg Times

Eagles’ nest destroyed when tree collapses

Residents and employees of Seminole Lake Country Club were shocked last week when a tall, dead tree containing a 29-year-old eagles nest came crashing down in the middle of the night - Jan. 30, Tampa Bay Newspapers