Path of the Panther

As the last big cat surviving in the eastern United States, and the state animal of Florida, the panther is an icon of Florida’s last wild places. Now the panther’s many advocates — including a wildlife photographer, veterinarians, ranchers, conservationists, and indigenous people — 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.

National GeographicGrizzly Creek Films2022

About the Film

In a struggle that parallels the plight of many species across the globe, the Florida panther’s habitat has become an island, its lush territory transformed into subdivisions.

Through the Emmy-winning Path of the Panther film and a range of related educational content, from a photo exhibit to a student curriculum, Wildpath is working to spread the word about the threats the panther faces and what conservation measures are urgently needed to save the species from extinction. This project is the culmination of more than five years of field research, 500,000 still images, and over 800 hours of ultra-high-definition camera trap footage.

Release Date: 2022
Directed By: Eric Bendick
In Partnership With: National Geographic

Grizzly Creek Films
Related Landscapes: Florida Wildlife Corridor
Location: Florida, USA

Awards

2024 Winner Outstanding Nature Documentary Emmy
2022 Official Selection of The Doc NYC Film Festival
2022 Winner Audience Award Best Documentary Feature at the Naples International Film Festival
2022 Winner Ecosystem Long Form Jackson Wild Film Festival
2022 Audience Award for Best Florida Feature at the Florida Film Festival
2022 Official Selection of the Banff Mountain Film Festival
2022 Winner Impact and Production Team Awards at the Wildscreen Film Festival
2022 Official Selection of the Docsoup
2023 Winner Best Conservation Film at the New York Wild Film Festival
2022 Winner Golden Conch for Best Feature at the Key West Film Festival
2022 Winner Audience Award for Active Cinema at the Mill Valley Film Festival
2022 Winner Best Documentary at the Omaha Film Festival
2022 Winner Jury Award at the Academia Film Olomouc
2022 Winner Audience Award at the Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam
2022 Official Selection of the Sarasota Film Festival
2023 Official Selection of Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
2022 Official Selection of Bendfilm Festival

Project Goal

By sharing the story of the Florida panther and the challenges it faces, Wildpath aimed to inspire the protection of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

Project Outcome

This film and associated education campaign played a pivotal role in the unanimous bipartisan passage of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act in 2021, a critical step to secure Florida’s unique wild places and the animals that call them home.

This milestone was the result of an extensive, strategic communications campaign by Wildpath and partners. Special screenings of the film were held for the Florida Legislature, followed by a theatrical release in more than 40 theaters across the state in 2023. The book, “Path of the Panther: New Hope for Wild Florida” — which won the Florida Book Award in 2023 for nonfiction — was also distributed to every state lawmaker. A series of photo exhibits held in Florida and Washington, D.C., a feature-length article in National Geographic magazine, and a K-12 education curriculum designed for students further helped grow the movement to protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor; in 2023, Florida committed $1billion to land protection within the corridor. The Florida Senate also recognized April 22, 2025 as Florida Wildlife Corridor Day.

5+: years of field production
40+: theaters statewide release
$1B+: funding catalyzed for statewide conservation policy