Story of FP 250 highlights threats to Florida Panthers!

Posted this story on our Facebook page last week.  Sharing it here to highlight another way Florida Panthers are impacted by shrinking habitat:

Sad story of FP 250. Struck by a car in June of 2017, this male panther suffered three broken legs and other injuries. He was rushed to an animal ER in Naples and received 6 hours of successful surgery. After months of rehabilitation in northern Florida, the now-recovered panther was released into the Dinner Island Wildlife Management Area in Hendry County in February of 2018. Nine months later, in November 2018, he met his death in a fight with another panther in rural Collier County - not far from where he was struck by the vehicle.

Much can be said about this story. Panthers are territorial animals - and with the exception of mating or a female raising kittens, they are also solitary animals. "Intraspecific aggression" - or panther on panther fights - is the second leading caused of death for panthers after roadkill. The small piece of southwest Florida which is the core habitat for this species is now a full house - with all viable panther habitat fully occupied. When we consider the 45,000 acres of development and hundreds of miles of new and widened roads that Collier County landowners and the U.S, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) want to bring to this special area, we need to add displacement of existing panther home ranges to the destruction and fragmentation of habitat which is coming. Those lands that are slated be be paved over for new subdivisions are NOT vacant.

Original story here: 

https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20181218/mystery-of-florida-panther-death-solved