Panther road kill carnage
To the editor:
I, too, am angered and upset when I see another death of a panther due to road kill. What are the Florida Wildlife officials, Florida Highway Patrol, Sheriffs Offices, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and the county commissioners doing to stop panther deaths on our roads?
When the FWC had comments about panthers, I suggested reducing the speed limits in panther zones to 30 mph, ore police mounted patrols in panther zones, other roads, and building more wildlife underpasses. Why can’t they double the fines like they do in construction zones? Tickets should be given out to people driving 36 mph in panther speed zones. Not the usual 10 mph gradus waver.
The Conservancy of SW Florida should give the FLHP and sheriffs a $5,000 per year so they can put more patrols in panther areas. They could patrol on their off duty time and normal patrols. But I can only hope that any law officer would read this and to do it for free.
The Lee County Commission budgeted a million dollar wildlife underpass for Corkscrew Road. Why isn’t this being built? The heck with the study. Our panthers are dying now.
More panther fences need to be built along panther habitat roads. Where are panther biologists and other panther officials, FWC and volunteers on this?.
Our panthers keep being killed on our roads due to careless drivers in panther speed zones and other roads. It’s up to each and every one to religiously obey the laws, particularly the speed zones.Only YOU can make a difference.
Our state mammal, the panther, gets a short shift from the media. Weekly, they should remind their readers to drive carefully in panther habitat.
Thirty four panther deaths a year on our roads is horrible. Let’s stop it.
Carl Veaux
Cape Coral