Action timeline

March 11, 1967 – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Florida panther as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

December 18, 2008 – The Service finalized its third revision of the Florida panther's federal recovery plan, which makes it clear that the feline will not recover without designated critical habitat and reintroductions to establish new populations.

September 17, 2009 – The Center petitioned the Service for about 3 million acres of critical habitat for the Florida panther.

February 11, 2010 – The Fish and Wildlife Service denied our critical habitat petition.

February 18, 2010 – The Center, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, the Sierra Club, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and the Council for Civic Associations filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court against the Service for its failure to protect the Florida panther's habitat.

April 20, 2010 – The Center and allies appealed a federal judge's ruling earlier in the month that upheld the Service's decision not to identify and protect critical habitat for the Florida panther.

May 27, 2011 – Our petition to reintroduce the panther to the Okefenokee was denied.

December 14, 2012 – The deaths of two endangered Florida panthers struck on roads brings the number of known deaths this year to 26, the highest on record. 

May 15, 2013 – In an effort to reduce damaging off-road vehicle use in Big Cypress National Preserve, the Center and other groups filed a lawsuit against the National Park Service for failing to protect Florida panthers and other imperiled species.

September 22, 2014 – Conservation groups reached a settlement with the National Park Service to significantly curtail damaging off-road vehicle use in Big Cypress National Preserve, home to endangered Florida panthers and other rare species of animals and plants. 

May 7, 2015 – In response to the illegal shooting of an endangered Florida panther, The Humane Society of the United States, the Center for Biological Diversity and Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. The pledge, along with a $5,000 reward offered by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, pushes to $15,000 the total reward being offered.

Florida panther photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service