Conservationist Carlton Ward, Jr. of National Geographic, will speak at the fourth annual “Conversations About Conservation” on Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 7:00 PM EST at Ocala Breeder’s Sales (1701 SW 60th Avenue).
The Florida panther may not call the stables of Ocala home, but residents can learn all about the majestic animal and how they can support the expansion of its protected habitat. Horse Farms Forever, an Ocala-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving horse farms and the city’s identity as the “horse capital of the world," will host the event.
According to Wikipedia, the Florida panther is a North American cougar found in South Florida. It lives in pinelands, tropical hardwood hammocks, and mixed freshwater swamp forests. It is known under a number of common names including Florida cougar, and Florida puma. Males can weigh up to 161 lb. In 1982, the Florida panther was chosen as the Florida state animal.
The Florida panther is only one beneficiary of the sprawling Florida Wildlife Corridor, a contiguous network of 18 million acres of land meant to serve as a habitat for the state’s endangered and threatened species.
Ward is a National Geographic explorer and conservation photographer, will sign copies of his book “Path of the Panther” and deliver a keynote speech. Ward is the central character of the Leonardo DiCaprio-produced film of the same name, which chronicles his efforts to photograph the elusive animal.
Ward’s book and film were integral in securing support for the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, a law that secured over $400 million in state funding for land conservation in 2021. About 40% of Marion County fits into the corridor, including a portion of Ocala’s Farmland Preservation Area, which protects the area’s horse farms from urban sprawl.
