Swamp Screamer: At Large with the Florida Panther

by Charles Fergus

"Whether the panther survives or perishes, Fergus has written a book that does it full justice. His narrative is lively and full of anecdotes, some of them eye-openers."--Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post "As good as, or better than, any book I’ve read in years about the awful and willful ignorance of homo sapiens about the living world."--Farley Mowat, author of Never Cry Wolf "Charles Fergus [is] a diligent reporter and straightforward writer. . . . You will enjoy [his] descriptions of forays into panther territory."--Kathleen Krog, Miami Herald The Florida panther is an endangered species, its way of life altered by the spread of suburban culture across the state. In Swamp Screamer , Charles Fergus tracks the fifty or so panthers that survive in Florida, vividly describing the people trying to save these remarkable creatures--including wildlife biologists trying to preserve panther habitat and radical animal lovers who regard the panther as a symbol of their crusade on behalf of nature. Swamp Screamer is a surprising and often comic look at the wildlife movement today; it is also an evocative history of the vanishing wilds of Florida and a deeply affecting portrait of the panthers themselves. Charles Fergus has written six books, including the novel  Shadow Catcher; a collection of essays , The Wingless Crow; and a memoir , A Rough-Shooting Dog. He lives in a stone house that he built himself on a mountainside in central Pennsylvania.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Nature

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

I write a mystery series set in the 1830s in a rough-and-tumble county in backwoods Pennsylvania, where an "accidental" sheriff works to solve crimes while battling his own griefs and travails. My most recent Gideon Stoltz mystery, "Nighthawk's Wing" (Arcade Crimewise 2021), received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. It's the sequel to "A Stranger Here Below" (Arcade Crimewise, 2019), which just came out in paperback. I'm currently at work on a third in the series, with the working title "Lay This Body Down." The Gideon Stoltz mysteries take place during the Jacksonian era of American history, when our young nation was flexing its muscles and finding its identity.

Born and raised in central Pennsylvania, I now live on a farm in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. I love to spend time outdoors in all seasons, hiking, snowshoeing, and especially riding horses. I'm married to the writer Nancy Marie Brown. I have written many nature books, and my readers tell me my knowledge of natural history and wildlife helps inform my fiction.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Informative and beautiful writing about nature. Discovered the book after reading one of the author's fiction books.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was full of interesting information about panthers in Florida; including stories about encounters that people have had with the remaining panther population over the years. It really stresses the importance of these great cats and the danger that they are in of becoming an extinct subspecies. It was not possible to read this book and not wish to do more to save them. I did think the book could do well without the descriptions of every biologist and conservationist's clothing, personality, and mannerisms. Descriptions of the cats and the environment are important to the story, the fact that the biologist wore cowboy boots and chewed gum did nothing to help the cause.

[epg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-fiction. A clear overview of the history of the endangered Florida panther and the efforts made to help protect it from extinction (up until the time of publishing -1996). Lots of information, but written in a digestible storytelling style as the author recounts his journey in researching this book. Fergus introduces us to a whole range of real people in a personable way - who are affected by or play an active role in the subject matter - bringing the issue even more to life.

Now I just wish I could find the same accessible format to follow what has happened since this publication.

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swamp Screamer: At Large With the Florida Panther by Charles Fergus (North Point Press 1996) (599.74428). Author Charles Fergus tracks the “fifty or so” cougars left in Florida by focusing on the wildlife biologists and the radical animal lovers who regard the panther as a symbol of wild nature. This is an often unintentionally humorous look at the animal rights movement. My rating: 7.5/10, finished 1/2010.

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

**2 Stars**

Meh. Provided a lot of information, but the author jumped around a lot. He also like to really go into detail when describing all the people he talked to. In all, I would say about 50% of the book is about the panthers and the rest is about everyone else (important or not). I had no idea what was taking place when, either. The author seemed not to follow any timeline at all.

[Tom Mueller]

Obviously, the topic of this is the endangered Florida Panther.