Understanding Florida panther spatial ecology in a changing landscape
Serving Since
Zachary is a Florida panther biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, where he is developing incentive programs for panther conservation on private lands, working to mitigate human-panther conflict, and conducting panther research and monitoring. He is a Master's student in the Spatial and Population Ecology of Carnivores Lab and is advised by Dr. Lisanne Petracca. His thesis research focuses on understanding Florida panther spatial ecology in a changing landscape and aims to inform recovery efforts and conservation planning.
Zachary is from southwestern Pennsylvania and received a B.S. in Environmental Science from American Public University. Prior to entering the wildlife field, he served in the U.S. Air Force working in geospatial intelligence and remote sensing. Zachary has conducted university and agency wildlife research across the country, focusing on carnivore and predator-prey ecology. He has studied multiple carnivore and ungulate species using a variety of techniques and is certified in Wildlife Track and Sign by CyberTracker Conservation. His recent work includes studying the spatial and road ecology of ocelots and bobcats in South Texas as a research associate with the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute.
In his free time, Zachary enjoys wildlife tracking, birding, hiking, and kayaking.