The Endangered Florida Panther

Children's Literature - Beverly Kobrin

Introduce youngsters to Margaret Goff Clark's The Endangered Florida Panther, to learn about this close cousin of the mountain lion and the efforts to keep the species from becoming extinct.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-Books on this state animal are as rare as this endangered cat itself, so Florida librarians will gladly greet this clear and concise text. There is a good mix of high-interest anecdotes about the panther and the people who study and safeguard it, and of facts and photos that present basic information about the species and its ecological role. Habits and habitat are briefly discussed; history focuses on the panther's endangered status and the efforts to protect it. The controversial captive breeding program is a given rather short shrift, and the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, a participant in the program, is not mentioned. On the whole, however, this is a useful and successful presentation on an animal long neglected in children's books.-Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

Sheilamae O'Hara

As the Everglades were drained to make room for a highway and as residential development encroached, the two score Florida panthers that had survived guns and traps seemed doomed to extinction. They were designated as an endangered species, and aggressive action is being taken to protect them from the dangers of civilization as well as the perils of life in the wild. Clark summarizes the little that is known about this reclusive cat and describes the ways that wildlife biologists are studying the breed in its natural environment and even removing some of the young for selective breeding in captivity. The photographs are colorful and plentiful. Unfortunately, none clearly show the whorl and kink in the tail that are the marks of the species. Still, both the prose and the illustrations introduce readers to a strikingly handsome feral feline that none of them may ever see in person.