Keep the Florida Panther from becoming a ghost
“These animals are like ghosts,” says Carlton Ward Jr.—National Geographic explorer, photographer, and 8th generation Floridian—at the beginning of this captivating film that endeavors to keep the Florida Panther from becoming just that: a ghost. 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 ever-diminishing wild places, as revealed in the film’s sumptuous images. Leading a team that includes cowboys, wildlife biologists, photographers/videographers, and a lot of folks who simply care about the future of Florida’s fragile ecology, Ward treks repeatedly into the Everglades and expanses of South Florida to seek, record, and save these ghosts.
Director: Eric Bendick
Director of Photography: Eric Bendick, Danny Schmidt, Katie Bryden, Jeff Reed, Rick Smith, Dawson Dunning, Thomas Winston, Carlton Ward Jr.
Producer: Eric Bendick, Thomas Winston, Carlton Ward Jr., Tori Linder
Writer: Eric Bendick
Path of the Panther | Official Trailer | National Geographic