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by Tim L. Tetzlaff,
Director of Conservation,
Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens Familiar Faces and a Future Worth Contemplating

looked up. My heart dropped. modified bridges along with fencing in collaboration with the
On the video screen was a face Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC),
I I'd loved and sobbed over —a US Fish & Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service.
tiger I hadn’t seen alive in a decade. Much like how “Alligator Alley” originated as a derogatory
My shock came from seeing this term by those who opposed the road, the underpasses were a
beloved tiger named Centaine source of controversy. But these measures have since proven
completely out of context at to be profoundly successful and FDOT now has 60 wildlife
Busch Gardens. It took a moment crossings with more planned. While it was disheartening to
to connect the dots between the see 29 panthers struck by vehicles in 2024, one can imagine
national TV special I had been in how many more would be gone were it not for FDOT’s safety
twenty years earlier and the B-roll measures protecting panthers and people.
of Centaine at their tiger habitat, but the emotional reminder Indeed, that panthers survive at all is the result of
of loss remained. I had no idea then I was to have a similar cooperative planning. In 1992, a population viability analysis
experience years later while updating panthercrossing.org. I indicated panthers might be extinct by 2016. Because of
ran across an image on the internet of a Florida panther facing the the genetic rescue conducted by FWC in 1995, we now have ten times
road. But when I took a closer look, I knew that face. So do many more cats than we did then. Much work remains to help those bearing
others. It was Uno, a panther that had been blinded by a shotgun blast the burdens of a growing panther population. New pilot programs now
and lived. reimburse ranchers for calves lost to panthers and compensate landowners
Prior to this, the first known images of Uno were of an emaciated for providing critical ecosystem services. With careful implementation
cat with a collapsed eye and another clouded blue. But here he stood and public support, these programs can become permanent. And we’ve
with his wounds barely visible and weeks before he would be found seen this kind of success before. At the same time we were warned about
starving. It's been over a year and I'm still processing my reaction to panthers, scientists sounded the alarm that tigers would not survive the
seeing him in that intervening time. Uno's full story remains a mystery. 20th century at the current rate of loss. It worked. While panthers and
Only the person who pulled the trigger knows if it was self-defense tigers are still endangered, they are not extinct.
or not. Without that encounter, Uno’s days could have been lived out As I reflect on the faces of Centaine and Uno, I feel loss. Nothing takes
in anonymity walking through public and private lands instead of in that away. Yet, I’m also hopeful that we listened and continue to advance
protective care at Naples Zoo. efforts that prevent the extinction of their species. As overwhelming as
But this image and Uno’s story encapsulates a confluence of issues. it is to lose an individual, so can be the joy of acting to ensure their kind
Human-wildlife conflict and social tolerance affect many predators, but will continue to walk the pinelands and jungles for generations to come.
like most endangered species, habitat loss represents a core concern. In
100 years, our population grew from 2 billion to 8 billion, swallowing February 20: CONSERVATION LECTURE SERIES
wilderness in the process. Florida’s growth is even more dramatic— https://www.napleszoo.org/speakers
surging from under 1 million to over 23 million today. Imagine this: in
1924, you and every Floridian puts their family of four in the Model Join us to learn more with USFWS Florida Panther Coordinator, David
T and drives single file down from the state line across the Everglades Shindle including how Naples Zoo collaborates with state and federal
and back up north. There’s about 6 feet between you and the car in partners and other charitable organizations on behalf of Florida’s panthers.
front of you. Do the same in 2025 in a Honda Accord and you’re less
than six inches apart but you need an eighty-eight-lane wide road. To learn more or support these efforts, visit NaplesZoo.org/conserve
With so many of us, vehicular collisions with wildlife are inevitable— Together, we can create a brighter, more resilient future
unless you plan for them. In the 1980s, the two-lane road I grew up for people and wildlife.
knowing as “Alligator Alley” was slated for four lanes. The Florida
Department of Transportation planned 36 wildlife underpasses and
Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit entrusted with educating families and caring for rare species in a century old historic garden. Since 2014, Naples
Zoo has invested over $3.5 million saving plants and animals in the wild and fully funds the annual salary of 27 field staff in 7 countries including three wildlife veterinarians.
To learn more about how you can invest in a better future for people and wildlife, email tim@napleszoo.org.

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