This wild Florida panther (FP142) was photographed on the Mahogany Trail in Everglades NP. Photo / Mike Barnes

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s panther team has released its “Annual Report on the Research and Management of Florida Panthers.” Hikers and mountain bikers in western Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties should stay informed since they might encounter the large carnivore, which can weigh more than 150 pounds.

A sampling of panthers are captured and fitted with radio collars each year to answer specific research and management questions, said Mark Lotz, an FWC panther biologist who summarized the report for South Florida Adventures’ readers. “I think what people may find most interesting about the report are the tables and appendices. These contain a running list of information on individual panthers.”

Besides information on the panthers captured, the report presents details on panthers that have died, kittens that were born, and human-panther interactions.

Most human-panther interactions involve a panther killing someone’s pet or livestock, Lotz said. Several depredation events over the summer prompted the FWC to join forces with government and environmental organizations to pass out information packets about living with panthers. A total of 2,000 households were targeted in Golden Gate Estates, which southeast Florida residents pass while driving along Alligator Alley to Naples.

“Protecting one’s pets and livestock by securing them in a predator-proof enclosure, especially at night, is the best way to avoid problems with panthers,” Lotz added.

Removing the panther is not a long-term solution and panthers are not the only predator in Florida that will take advantage of an easy meal. The FWC says that excluding predators is the most effective way to prevent domestic problems.

Getting hit by cars continues to be one of the most documented forms of mortality for Florida’s panthers, which in western states are typically called mountain lions and in Texas are called cougars. Only about 100 panthers are estimated to be roaming in South Florida so every individual is important.

An even bigger strain is put on the population when females are killed, especially if they are raising kittens. This happened to Florida panther #158 in May, according to the report. She was struck by a vehicle and killed on Tamiami Trail near Collier Seminole State Park. She had two 2-month-old kittens. The FWC panther team spent several days looking for the kittens but was unable to find them.

Not all panther encounters involve the loss of pets or road kills. Many people search for panthers in their natural habitat.

“There was a time when there were so few panthers that seeing one in the wild was virtually impossible,” Lotz said. “But confirmed sightings are more common these days. People have seen them on boardwalks in Everglades National Park and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and on hiking trails in Big Cypress National Preserve and Collier Seminole State Park.”

Adventurers are more likely to see tracks than an actual panther. But Lotz’ top locations for seeing the cat include Long Pine Key in Everglades National Park, Loop Road and Bear Island Grade in Big Cypress National Preserve, and Jane’s Scenic Drive in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park.

“Being quiet and observant is the key,” Lotz says.

That, and a lot of luck.

To read the annual report, click here.

To learn what to do if confronted by a panther, click here.