Florida Panthers

Since the start of May there have been six Florida panthers killed, likely by vehicle strike, Florida Wildlife Commission statistics show.

The Florida Wildlife Commission said Friday that the second panther death in a week in Collier County has been reported. The death is the 10th panther to be killed in the state this year.

The ninth Florida panther death this year and the fifth female of the species was reported killed in Collier County in the past week. The remains of the big cat, a 3-year-old female, were collected June 19, on County Road 846 in Collier County, east of Immokalee. The suspected cause of death was vehicle collision.

The Florida Fish & Game Commission Panther Pulse informational web site said the two animals were discovered on Saturday.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is reporting the death of another Florida panther.

Collier County has approved an exchange of land that could eventually lead to thousands of new homes in what now is a rural part of the region. But the deal also could lead to preserving a corridor for wildlife, including panthers.

Conservation groups sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wednesday to protect endangered Florida panthers from a new development within the panthers’ occupied breeding habitat in Collier County. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Myers, said the federal agencies violated the Endangered Species Act when they authorized a 10,264-acre residential and commercial development project known as Rural Lands West in important habitat for panthers in Collier County.

Early on a Saturday in early March, amateur wildlife photographer Jo Gryniewicz captured this rare sighting of a highly endangered Florida panther at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary east of Naples.

The panther's remains were found in Glades County. Five big cats have been killed by vehicles this year. Eighteen were killed last year, all but one by motorists.

The rehabilitation of a young Florida panther injured in a vehicle collision is being recognized as a powerful example of statewide collaboration among wildlife and veterinary partners working together to protect one of Florida’s most iconic endangered animals. ZooTampa at Lowry Park played a key role in the panther’s survival and has now provided him a permanent home as a conservation ambassador. The panther, named "Loper," will remain at the zoo permanently and serve an important purpose in helping guests understand the threats facing Florida panthers and the need to protect the habitat they depend on.