Florida Panthers

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.

Craig Pittman is a native Floridian who has written about Florida and Floridians and them any, shall we say, unique characteristics they both have. He covered environmental issues for the Tampa Bay Times for more than two decades and he now writes a weekly column for the nonprofit newsroom Florida Phoenix, and he co-hosts the “Welcome to Florida” podcast. Pittman is author of  “Oh, Florida! How America's Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country,” and 2020’s “Cat Tale: The Wild, Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther.” He’ll be in town on Wednesday to give a talk about Florida panthers at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greater Naples so we get a preview.

A third panther death is being reported by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, the suspected victim of a vehicle collision. The injured 3-year-old, male Florida panther was rescued on January 28 in Polk County in Central Florida by ZooTampa, at the direction of the FWC, for treatment and assessment by their veterinary team.

The Picayune Strand Restoration Project repaired 85-square-miles of distorted and drained wetlands in western Collier County as 260 miles of crumbling roads were removed and 48 miles of canals were filled

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is reporting the death of another panther in Southwest Florida. The remains of an eight-month-old female Florida panther were collected Saturday north of Naples Heritage Golf & Country Club on Collier Boulevard.