Return of the Ghost Cat

It was a sunny day in 2021. A panther named Broketail was leading her three kittens through tall grasses in southern Florida. Up ahead was a shady tunnel beneath a busy highway.

At just a few months old, the kittens had never seen anything like the tunnel. It was dark, with a big puddle from a recent rainstorm covering the ground. The earth shook from the cars speeding above. The loud roar of trucks filled their ears. 

Broketail entered the tunnel, confidently splashing through the puddle. Her tan fur rippled over her powerful muscles with each step. Behind her, the fuzzy kittens were nervous. They carefully dipped their tiny paws into the water.

As their mother crossed to the other side of the tunnel, the babies paused. They were scared. Broketail looked back and called to them, trying to get her kittens to follow her. She knew that her little ones would have to learn to be brave. Using underpasses like this one was key to staying alive. 

Humans had built this tunnel just for Broketail’s species, the Florida panther. With only about 200 of these cats still alive in the wild, they needed all the help they could get. 

Would Broketail be able to teach her kittens to cross?

It was a sunny day in 2021. A panther named Broketail was walking with her three kittens through tall grass in southern Florida. They stopped at a tunnel under a highway.

The kittens were just a few months old. They had never seen anything like the tunnel. It was dark. There was a big puddle inside from a rainstorm. The cars speeding above made the ground shake. The loud roar of trucks filled their ears.

Broketail began to cross to the other side of the tunnel. She bravely splashed through the puddle. Her fuzzy kittens stayed behind. They were scared. They carefully dipped their paws into the water.

Broketail looked back and called to them. She tried to get her kittens to follow her. They would have to learn to be brave. Using underpasses like this one would help the kittens stay alive.

Humans had built this tunnel just for Broketail’s species, the Florida panther. That’s because the animals need help. There are only about 200 of them left in the wild. 

Would Broketail be able to teach her kittens to cross?

Hundreds of years ago, Florida panthers could be found across the Southeastern United States. There were thousands of them. They roamed freely through swamps, forests, and grasslands. Mother panthers lived with and cared for their kittens, while the males lived alone. The kittens spent their days playing and napping in the shade. 

Meanwhile, the adult panthers would hunt—a lot. And that hunting helped protect the plants and animals living around them. That is because Florida panthers are powerful predators at the top of the food chain. They eat deer, rabbits, raccoons, and other animals. 

By doing that, they help keep the populations of those animals in check. For example, without panthers eating deer, the number of deer would go up and up and up. The deer would eat all the plants, until there wouldn’t be enough plants left for other hungry creatures. Panthers help keep the plants and the animals in their habitat in balance.

Hundreds of years ago, Florida panthers lived across the Southeastern United States. There were thousands of them. They roamed freely through the land. Mother panthers cared for their kittens. The males lived alone. The kittens spent their days playing and napping.

The adult panthers hunted a lot. That hunting helped protect the plants and animals living around them. That’s because Florida panthers are powerful predators. They eat deer, rabbits, raccoons, and other animals.  This keeps the number of those animals under control. 

For example, if panthers didn’t eat deer, the number of deer would get
too big. The deer would eat all the  plants. Then there wouldn’t be enough plants left for other hungry animals. Panthers help keep the plants and the animals in their habitat in balance.

But in 1513, something happened that changed the lives of panthers forever. People from Spain arrived in Florida. The Spanish were terrified by the prowling panthers. They had never seen cats so big and fierce. Around the fire at night, the newcomers told each other stories about the panthers. They feared the animals were violent and would attack them!

In reality, Florida panthers usually avoid humans. (Their shy, silent ways have earned them a nickname: Ghost Cat.) But panthers were attacking the animals the Spanish raised, like sheep, goats, and cows. So to protect their animals, the Spanish shot any panthers they saw. 

Many years later, in the 1850s, the leaders in Florida also wanted to get rid of panthers. They began awarding $5 for each panther killed. (That’d be worth about $150 today!) This caused the number of Florida panthers to
drop sharply.

The panthers that were left moved away from the areas where people were hunting them. Soon they were gone from most of their home. They lived only in a very small area in the southern tip of Florida, where fewer humans lived. There the panthers didn’t have much room to roam.

In 1513, people from Spain arrived in Florida. This changed the panthers’ lives forever. The Spanish were afraid of the prowling panthers. They had never seen cats so big. The Spanish told each other stories about the panthers. They thought the animals would attack them!

Actually, Florida panthers usually stay away from humans. Their nickname is Ghost Cat because they are shy and quiet. But panthers did attack the Spanish people’s animals, like sheep, goats, and cows. To protect their animals, the Spanish shot any panthers they saw.

Many years later, in the 1850s, leaders in Florida also wanted to get
rid of panthers. They gave people $5 for each panther killed. (That would be worth about $150 today!) This caused the number of Florida panthers to drop even more.

The panthers that survived moved away from places where people lived. Soon they lived only in a very small area in southern Florida. The panthers didn’t have much space there.

By 1900, experts believed that there were only 500 panthers left in Florida. And over the years, their numbers kept dropping. By the 1960s, Florida panthers had almost disappeared. There were fewer than 20 left in the wild.   

How did the number of panthers shrink so quickly? In the 1950s and 1960s, more and more people were moving to Florida. The state’s year-round sunshine and sandy beaches made it a popular place for many families. During that time, more than 200,000 people moved to Florida every year.

All those people needed houses to live in. They needed places to buy groceries, watch movies, go to school. To make room for all those things, swamps were paved over. Forests were cut down. The panthers’ habitat shrank even further.

On top of that, many new roads were built so that all those people could get from city to city. New highways were constructed across the state. And that was a big problem. Why?

Panthers need huge areas of land to hunt and to look for partners. Now roads were slicing across their habitats. The big cats could not travel without facing speeding cars—and risking getting hit. 

“It was very difficult for them to survive,” says Mark Danaher, a scientist who studies Florida panthers. 

By the 1970s, Florida panthers were in danger of going extinct, or dying out completely. Would the big cats disappear forever?

By 1900, experts thought there were only 500 panthers left in Florida. Over the years, their numbers kept dropping. By the 1960s, Florida panthers had almost disappeared. There were fewer than 20 left in the wild.

Why? In the 1950s and 1960s, more than 200,000 people moved to Florida every year. The state’s sunshine and sandy beaches made it a popular place to live. 

All those new people needed houses. They also needed places to buy groceries, watch movies, and go to school. They made room for these buildings by paving over swamps. They cut down forests too. That made the land where panthers could live smaller. 

Many roads were built so that people could travel. New highways were made across the state. This was a big problem for the panthers.

That’s because panthers need huge areas of land to hunt and find partners. Now roads were cutting across their land. And when panthers traveled, they could get hit by cars.

“It was very difficult for them to survive,” says Mark Danaher. He’s a scientist who studies Florida panthers.

By the 1970s, Florida panthers were in danger of becoming extinct, or dying out completely. Would they disappear forever?

Around the same time, though, a big change took place. In 1966, the country’s first-ever endangered species list was created. That is a list of animals that are in danger of going extinct. The Florida panther was one of the first animals on the list. This made hunting it illegal.

Then, in the 1990s, scientists worked to find new ways to help Florida panthers have babies. The number of panthers in the wild grew to about 60. 

Yet it still wasn’t enough to save the big cats. As the number of panthers grew, experts wondered: Where would these panthers live? 

In order to survive, they needed thousands of square miles of land to roam freely. That did not exist in southern Florida at the time.

Around the same time, there was an important change. In 1966, the country made its first endangered species list. That is a list of animals that are in danger of dying out. The Florida panther was on the list. This made it illegal to hunt the animals.

Then, in the 1990s, scientists found new ways to help Florida panthers have babies. The number of panthers in the wild grew to about 60.

But that still wasn’t enough to save the big cats. As the number of panthers grew, the animals would need more space.

Panthers need thousands of square miles of land to live. That did not exist in southern Florida at the time.

Before long, scientists and lawmakers joined together. Their goal was to create a big piece of land where panthers and other animals could move around safely. They later called it the Florida Wildlife Corridor. 

Experts figured out where animals often tried to cross busy roads. Then they built wildlife crossings in those places. These are special bridges or underpasses that animals can use. The crossings help them get from one side to the other safely. 

Wildlife groups also bought and protected more land for panthers. And together with the wildlife crossings, it worked. Today more than 6,000 square miles of natural land in southern Florida are part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. That is an enormous amount of land—larger than the whole state of Connecticut!

Scientists and lawmakers began to join together. Their goal was to make
a big area of land where panthers and other animals could travel through safely. They later called it the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

Experts found out where animals often tried to cross busy roads. Then they built wildlife crossings there. These are special bridges or tunnels that animals can use. The crossings help them get  from one side to the other safely.

Wildlife groups also bought and protected more land for panthers. Today more than 6,000 square miles of land in southern Florida are part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. That is bigger than the whole state of Connecticut!

That brings us back to that sunny day in 2021. A wildlife camera filmed Broketail and her kittens at the underpass. After several hours, she finally got them to make it across. The kittens splashed across the puddle with their little paws. They dashed through the dark tunnel until they reached the green forest on the other side. 

“That was the coolest moment I’ve ever seen,” says Danaher, the scientist who studies panthers. 

Less than a year later, Broketail’s three kittens were caught on camera again. By then, they were almost fully grown. This time, they traveled through the underpass bravely. Their mom had taught them exactly what to do.   

There’s still more work to be done to save the Florida panther. As the cats move to new areas in northern Florida and beyond, they will need human helpers more than ever. More wildlife crossings will need to be built under and over busy highways. 

But about 200 of these big cats now roam freely in the southern part of the state. Their story is proof that humans can hurt animals—but can help them too.

Now let’s go back to that sunny day in 2021. A wildlife camera filmed Broketail and her kittens at the tunnel. She finally got them to cross after several hours. The kittens splashed through the puddle. They dashed through the dark tunnel until they reached the forest on the other side.

“That was the coolest moment I’ve ever seen,” says Danaher, the scientist who studies panthers.

Broketail’s three kittens were filmed again less than a year later. By then, they were almost fully grown. This time, they traveled through the underpass bravely. 

There’s still more work to be done to save the Florida panther. As the cats
move to new areas in northern Florida and beyond, they will need human helpers more than ever. More wildlife crossings will need to be built under and over busy highways.

But about 200 of these big cats now live freely in southern Florida. Their
story shows that humans can hurt animals. But they can help too.