A Sad Encounter, By Brian Call

"My name is Brian F. Call and I'm a nature photographer who for the past 10 years has been photographically documenting the life and various ecosystems that make up the Florida Everglades. I was the one who found the first panther while on my way home from photographing at night in the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve. She was left where she last fell, her silent and smashed body crossing the centerline of the road. I knelt down to pat her, and she was still warm. I approximated that she was hit no more than 5 or 10 minutes before my arrival. At that point, I realized her mother and/or sibling was calling out to her from behind the trees and shrubs that line the roadway. I was quite upset, but I managed to pull myself together enough to document the scene. The photos were the hardest images for me to take of anything I've ever photographed in nature, but I made a promise to this panther that I would use them to help people become more aware of the hazards this endangered species faces.

Just one panther death is quite significant due to their low numbers left living in the wild, but on Monday May 7th, I was sadly informed by Mark Lotz, a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Panther Division, that he found another road killed panther less than 300 feet from where I found the first. It was discovered that the two were siblings- one female, one male. Both were at the young age of only 10 months. Tragically, this is the first time ever two panthers have been killed in a single night-- even more heart wrenching is that they were siblings."

Brian’s ultimate goal with photographing nature is to encourage others to reconnect with our imperiled natural world. "We are losing wilderness areas at an alarming rate and developing a greater sense of intimacy with the earth and its natural cycles is of critical importance", Brian said. "Hopefully my nature photography will contribute to inspiring this kind of emotional and spiritual connection that is so urgently needed."