DOT extending Collier panther fencing

Florida panthers and humans traveling in Collier County will be safer a year from now, after the state installs fencing designed to keep large animals off Alligator Alley.

The Florida Department of Transportation will start construction later this year on a $5.4 million project that includes 18 miles of 10-foot fencing and work on three animal underpasses east of the Naples-area toll booth.

"Our staff looked at it and it was determined that it was an important project not only for panthers but for humans," said Zach Burch, with FDOT's Fort Myers office. "We obviously support protecting panthers and making sure they're able to get (safely) across all of our roads."

DOT approved the project after being petitioned by the Florida Wildlife Federation, which has pushed for years to have panther fencing along all of Alligator Alley. Earlier this year the federation hired an outside traffic consultant to review to situation.

Recommendations from that study are largely what this project is based upon.

The fencing gap extends from just west of the Interstate 75 toll booth in Collier County to the Faka-Union Canal, a distance of about 9 miles. Fencing there now is the type used for cattle and other domesticated animals.

Three wildlife crossings will be rebuilt and improved as part of the project, which will allow larger animals to more easily use those connectors.

Alligator Alley cuts through some of the most remote areas of South Florida, and the roadway runs perpendicular to most animal movements. Animals traveling north and south must go east or west, to a wildlife underpass, to cross Alligator Alley.

The segment of road between the Naples and Miami tolls is often referred to as Alligator Alley because early critics of the interstate said only alligators would use the super highway.

Panthers can leap 15 feet to snare prey, which makes the current fencing little more than a hop for these athletic and agile animals.

"Obviously a 4-foot fence is not an obstacle to a healthy panther," Burch said. "And it's not a tremendous amount of work for us."

There have been 14 documented panther road kills along this stretch since 2004, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports show.

"It was that last whack on the rock that split it open, and it was very satisfying to see that DOT is going to do it," said Nancy Payton, Naples representative for the Florida Wildlife Federation, about efforts that triggered the fencing project. "They (panthers) will be able to travel between north and south Belle Meade more safely, but it's not going to be as convenient as playing Russian roulette with cars."

Road kills are the top cause of panther deaths. Intraspecific aggression (panthers killing panthers), gun shot wounds and unknown causes are also listed by the FWC as causes of death. Overall, 23 panthers have died after being hit by a vehicle this year, which is two shy of Florida's all-time record of 25 road kills.

"Maybe they (former planners and elected officials) thought that's where the natural habitat was going to end," Payton speculated of why panther fencing was never built along this stretch. "No one knows why."

Panther fencing was required as a part of the permitting process, Payton said, that allowed for the finalization of Interstate 75 from Naples to Miami.

And it's not just panthers and people that will be safer. Other large animals use these wildlife corridors, and animals as small as a rabbit can cause a driver to over-correct or make some other driving error.

"There have also been several black bear fatalities there, so we're trying to keep all wildlife away from traffic and funnel them toward the wildlife crossing," Burch said. "We need to protect their movement north and south to preserves and other habitat."

Connect with this reporter: ChadGillisNP on Twitter.

By the numbers

Florida panther

Puma concolor coryi

200: Square mile range for males

180: Maximum estimated population

6-7: Feet long from nose to tail

1967: Listed as endangered and protected under state and federal laws

0: Documented attacks on humans

Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission