As of now, there are 17 homeowners in neighborhoods off Corkscrew Road signed up for the Sharing the Landscape project. Members of the two organizations have placed 18 cameras, all set up in the hopes of capturing Southwest Florida’s diverse wildlife using these backyards.
Meredith Budd, FWF’s regional policy director, said the pretense for Sharing the Landscape was born following efforts to provide wildlife a safe way to cross Corkscrew Road by way of underpasses. She said there was coordination among developments in the area to provide a corridor so wildlife can cross roads, and instances of conflicts between humans and wildlife could rise as more development moves in.
Vehicles once again rank as the greatest lethal threat to the official state animal, the Florida panther, according to data collected by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The agency, which publishes the data at its online portal Panther Pulse, listed 22 panther deaths this year, a decline from last year’s 27 reported deaths.
Of the 22 dead panthers found this year, 19 were reported as killed by a car. Last year, 85%, or 23 of the 27 dead panthers found, were killed by vehicles. For contrast, 11 newborns in four litters were reported in 2020 and 11 kittens in five litters were reported in 2019.
The FWC estimates there are between 120-230 adult panthers living in the state. The subspecies of cougar was down to about 30 panthers in the early 1990s.
Pet owners continue to see coyotes near them in Cape Coral
Published: December 17, 2020 10:51 PM EST
Updated: December 17, 2020 11:33 PM EST
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Pet owners in Cape Coral say coyotes are wandering their neighborhoods, and Cape Coral Police Department issued a warning to community members to be vigilant.
We spoke to pet owners Thursday who encountered or saw recordings of coyotes near them in Cape Coral recently.
Tori Layman says she’s been on edge ever since a coyote approached her dog two weeks ago.
“It was just right over here on the lawn at 5:30 in the morning, my normal routine, and one just happened to run up right near her,” Layman said. “Thankfully, with a lot of loud noise and me screaming at the top of my lungs, the coyote ran away.”