Dawnxisoul393art

《Oil Pastels Painting  for " Save the Florida Panther Day " 》, by dawnxisoul393art The morning sun filtered through the cypress trees as Mark canoed down the Turner River in the Florida Everglades. An osprey circled overhead, scanning the swampy waters with keen eyes. As Mark rounded a bend, he suddenly spotted a rare sight - a female Florida panther crouched on the bank, drinking from the river. She lifted her tawny head, golden eyes blinking at the intruder. Mark's breath caught in his throat. With only 120 panthers left in the wild, he knew he was beholding one of the rarest animals on Earth. Save the Florida Panther Day, observed every third Saturday of March, aims to raise awareness about the critically endangered panther. In 1967, only 12 panthers remained due to hunting, habitat loss and pesticides poisoning the food chain. The panther was classified as one of the first endangered species protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.  Aggressive conservation ...