Three new Florida Panther deaths reported

The Florida Panther Project at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission sent an email this afternoon reporting 3 new panther deaths over the past 2 weeks, making a total of 11 so far in 2011.  The latest carcass was found on March 25 - an 11 year-old female panther killed by a motor vehicle.  Details were not released about the other 2 deaths which are listed as "under investigation." According to a state scientist I spoke with, the US Fish and Wildlife Service is withholding further information at this time. 


Below is the content of the email I received from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.  Take a close look at the chart at the end of the report which lists each dead panther found this year.


Frank Jackalone
Florida Staff Director
Sierra Club

This report, required by Section 2(d) of the Endangered Species Cooperative Agreement between the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), is to provide you details regarding the death and handling of a Florida panther. 

The remains of an 11 year 10 month old female panther, FP83, were collected on 25 March 2011 on US41, approximately 3.2km (2 mi) west of Port of the Islands in Collier County. The cause of death was trauma associated with a vehicle collision.  The carcass is currently at the FWC Naples Field Office and will eventually be transported to the Wildlife Research Lab in Gainesville for a complete necropsy.  The remains will be archived at the FL Museum of Natural History. This is the 11^th panther mortality for 2011 and the 5^th road mortality (UCFP157 is not included in the 2011 tally because of the estimated age of the recovered skeletal remains).

FP83 was initially marked in the den as a kitten in June 1999 in the Picayune Strand State Forest.  She was eventually radiocollared and monitored through July of 2006, when her GPS collar released as programmed. 

This information is being provided as required by Section 2(d) of the Endangered Species Cooperative Agreement between the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).  It is not intended as a News Release.  All information should be considered “pending” until all necropsy results and tests are finalized.

Click here for the chart of panther deaths:

Date	Panther ID	Sex	Age	Location	Cause	Type	Year	NAD83E	NAD83N
1/5/2011	FP141	M	8.5	Private property, Hendry County	Unknown	DEATH	2011	493576	2917771
1/7/2011	K284	M	1.5	SR29 south of Sears Rd., Hendry County	Vehicle	DEATH	2011	456583	2946741
1/13/2011	UCFP152	F	3	MM98 on I75 Eastbound, Collier County	Vehicle	DEATH	2011	436807	2892929
1/21/2011	UCFP153	M	8 months	MM98 on I75 Westbound, Collier County	Vehicle	DEATH	2011	436221	2892997
1/21/2011	UCFP154	M	8 months	Orange grove north of Sears Rd, Hendry County	ISA	DEATH	2011	464311	2949370
2/23/2011	UCFP155			Golden Gate Estates	Under Investigation	DEATH	2011
2/26/2011	UCFP156	M	3-4	I-75 near MM114, Collier County	Vehicle	DEATH	2011	425712	2910414
3/2/2011	FP170	F	4.5	Swan Lk Prairie, Picayune Strand SF, Collier County	Intraspecific Aggression	DEATH	2011	449388	2884684
3/15/2011	UCFP157	F	>3	Big Cypress National Preserve	Unknown (skeletal remains)	DEATH	2010	495693	2856305
3/17/2011	UCFP158				Under Investigation
3/25/2011	UCFP159				Under Investigation
3/25/2011	FP83	F	11yrs 10 mo.	US41 west of Port of the Islands	Vehicle	DEATH	2011	445757	2872465