Those who like to help with state-level causes by purchasing a license plate can assist the Florida Panther with a new plate now available through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
The Protect the Panther license plate is now available to Florida motorists. The new license plate can be purchased at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles or by checking with the Osceola tax collector office for availability.
It features photographer’s Carlton Ward striking capture of the first female panther documented north of the Caloosahatchee River since 1973, along with her kitten, from 2018.
Per the FWC, fees from the Protect the Panther license plate (about $25 per year added to your annual car registration) go directly to the Florida Panther Research and Management Trust Fund, the critical source of funding for the state’s panther-related research, monitoring and conservation efforts.
“The FWC and conservation partners have made significant progress with panther recovery and the FWC’s panther program relies upon sales of the license plate to continue these conservation efforts,” the conservation agency noted in a press release this week.”
The panthers are native to Florida, with the majority of panthers found south of Lake Okeechobee. Florida panthers are listed as an Endangered Species. There are only approximately 120-230 adult panthers in the population.
To learn more about Florida panthers, how to work to keep them safe in “panther zones” where they are known to cross highways, and the FWC’s work to conserve the species, visit MyFWC.com/Panther.
