Pumas used to range the forests and swamps of Florida in numbers. Hunting, development, and automobiles nearly decimated the Florida panther community. However, a small number of Florida panthers are still fighting for their habitat. In recent years, they were nominally protected by the endangered species list.
But now, the Florida panther is in danger of being taken off the endangered species list because some scientists think it's not a different species than the US cougar that exists in the west.
But delisting the Florida panther would be a disaster. The few remaining panthers in Florida would be at the mercy of reckless development and speeding cars. Forty-one big cats were killed just last year. Most of them were hit by cars.
Please join me in asking the US Fish and Wildlife Service not to delist the Florida panther from endangered status.
Dear US Fish and Wildlife Service:
I was saddened to learn that you are even considering delisting the Florida panther as endangered. The Florida panther might be very similar to cougars in the west. But that doesn't really help the survival of the panthers who are fighting to stay alive in the forests and swamps of Florida. Florida panthers are unique in that they live in Florida.
[your comment here]
Please do not delist this magnificent animal from endangered status.
Sincerely,
[your name]
