A lot of the hurdles we would face were made very apparent to us.

That's the $64-billion question. We know what it takes, and the panthers are more than willing to breed. It just comes down to space.

We have to tackle the remaining 30 percent to maintain continuity. I'm cautiously optimistic. We certainly see more panthers today, so I'm optimistic that preservation methods have worked.

It (not removing the panther) would very much raise the risk to the people in the area.

There are hurdles, there are handicaps, hardships you have to face in life, but you hope for a great future.

It's a little different having (the hurdles) all staggered.