Gallery Spotlight
FLORIDA PANTHER WITH CUBS
By Kim B. Parrish
© 2020 – 36 x 36” Oil on Canvas
FLORIDA PANTHER
Puma concolor coryi
FL Status: Federally-designated Endangered
The Florida Panther reigns as our official state animal. Back in the 70s, the future of our panthers looked horrible, with only 20 specimens remaining in the wild. Florida’s wildlife defenders mobilized, and thankfully the panthers dodged extinction. Even today, the FWC reports there are only 100-160 left in the wild. According to Big Cat Rescue, this makes the Florida Panther one of the rarest and most endangered mammals in the entire world. As a Florida native for over 50 years, I have only seen the Florida Panther in the wild one time, in the early 1980s…
We were pulling a small boat along a quiet side road in the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. I had nearly stopped to cross some rough railroad tracks, and we were shocked to see a panther step out on the road just 30 feet ahead. Even more surprising, she was escorting a pair of cubs. I kept the brakes on and we sat there with our mouths open. The event lasted only seconds; but as the panthers crossed and disappeared into the scrub, the memory of it was burned into me forever. Today, our panthers face danger from low genetic diversity and a neurological disease known as FLM.
My original oil painting “Florida Panther With Cubs” is 36 x 36 inches on canvas, and portrays a female with two blue-eyed youngsters. Some of my paintings are also available as limited edition reproductions. Thanks for your interest in my work, and I hope you enjoy the beauty of Florida’s panthers.