The Florida panther is a large, long-tailed cat that once ranged across the southeastern United States. As Florida’s human population has grown, panther numbers have dwindled—primarily due to habitat loss and fragmentation. In 1967, the federal government listed the Florida panther as an endangered species. Today, this elusive animal is an iconic symbol of wild Florida and has been designated by the Legislature as Florida’s official state animal.

Lykes Bros. Inc. is proud to partner with state and federal agencies working to promote the recovery of the Florida panther. In 2022, the Company and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service entered into a unique Memorandum of Understanding that recognized Lykes’ long-term stewardship of its Florida Ranch. The Service acknowledged that this stewardship has resulted in habitats with great functional value to the panther—and that the size and location of the Ranch presented a significant opportunity to advance species recovery through a cooperative approach.

Under this agreement, Lykes established conservation easements that create a permanent conservation corridor connecting protected lands south and north of the Caloosahatchee River. This significantly expands connected conservation lands in a region critical for the panther’s natural range expansion. The agreement also enabled Lykes to establish panther conservation credits, providing a landscape-scale approach to benefit the species now and into the future.