Path of the Panther

"Path of the Panther" is a 2023 American documentary film focusing on the efforts to conserve the endangered Florida panther and its habitat in the Everglades. The film follows National Geographic photographer Carlton Ward Jr., who, along with a team of biologists, ranchers, and Indigenous community members, strives to prevent environmental degradation. The film builds its case around the Florida Wildlife Corridor: more than 18 million acres, some publicly protected and some in private hands, that the panther needs to survive and the region needs for its biodiversity. Betty Osceola, an advocate for the environment from the Seminole Tribe, appears as well, and through her the film shows what the panther's habitat means culturally as much as ecologically. Crews worked for nearly five years and leaned on inventive methods, camera traps among them, to capture rare wild footage of the Florida panther. That effort fed the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, which the film helped push through; the law sets out to shield more than 18 million acres of habitat and link them together. "Path of the Panther" premiered in select Florida theaters before becoming available on Disney+ in May 2023.