Path of the Panther

Drawn in by the haunting specter of the Florida panther, National Geographic photographer Jr. Carlton Ward and a coalition of biologists, ranchers, conservationists and Indigenous peoples find themselves on the front lines of an accelerating battle between forces of renewal and destruction that have pushed the Everglades to the brink of ecological collapse. As one of the most elusive and endangered wild cats in the world, the plight of the panther inspired a visionary idea: a wildlife corridor or “wild path” that could one day stretch into every corner of North America. What began as a moonshot photo and film mission, Path of the Panther evolved into a groundbreaking collaboration between the National Geographic Society and other partners that inspired the passage of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, the first legislation of its kind and a blueprint for addressing habitat fragmentation and species extinction across the globe.