The Florida panther isn’t another sad character in another sad story about dying species. It can be seen as a success story.
The reason we know this is because we have photos of it leaping through the woods. We have videos of it living in natural areas in Florida where we haven’t seen it in decades. Now, we're seeing them with their kittens.
That’s thanks in part to a cinematic new documentary, Path of the Panther. It started as a small project by National Geographic Explorer and photographer Carlton Ward Jr. more than six years ago. He set up camera traps in the woods and caught beautiful images of the panthers thriving.
The filmmakers understood that we, the audience, needed to see the panther to want to save it.
The images are so stunning that Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio backed the filmmakers so they could finish the movie. You can see it on National Geographic on Earth Day — April 22. It will stream on Disney Plus later this spring.
The panther’s not out of the woods just yet. But the movie lays a roadmap for how we, Floridians, can bring it all the way back. It’s a story of hope when hope sometimes feels out of reach.
On the April 13 episode of Sundial, Tori Linder, a producer with the film, joined us to talk about how this film fits with ongoing efforts to save this endangered species.
On Sundial’s previous episode, award-winning author Sandra Cisneros joined us to talk about her latest book Woman Without Shame. She read from this new poetry collection about aging, desire, spirituality and shame.
Listen to Sundial Monday through Thursday on WLRN, 91.3 FM, live at 1 p.m., rebroadcast at 8 p.m. Missed a show? Find every episode of Sundial on your favorite podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify.
Stay in touch with us by emailing us at sundial@wlrnnews.org.
