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.

Panther kittens in the wild.

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission has launched FloridaPanthernet.org, reports Mark Lotz, an FWC panther biologist.

The new website includes an overview of Florida’s official mammal and addresses key issues. A summary page states this: “Is it a mountain lion? A cougar? A puma? Does it roar? You will learn about its physical appearance and its behavior in the wild. Is it black? Does it have spots? How big is it? What does it eat? How does it hunt? Does it live alone or in family groups? How much land does it need to survive? How long does it live and how does it rear its young? You will also discover how biologists and other scientists have discovered so much about this elusive animal.”

The site also lists panther births and deaths, gives details on the $15,200 reward for the shooting death of a panther, and explains how Floridians can help save the animal.

Once roaming throughout Florida and much of the United States, the panther was thought to be extinct in the early 1970s. Today, through conservation efforts, approximately 100 survive in the wild. A male panther can weigh up to 160 pounds but Lutz says that panthers have not attacked people.

A reward for information that leads to an arrest and/or a conviction in the shooting death of a Florida panther is now at $15,200.

The panther was found April 21 in Hendry County on private property bordering the Big Cypress National Preserve, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS). Henry County borders western Palm Beach and Broward counties.

State and federal biologists report that approximately 100 adult Florida panthers are alive. As of July 8, according Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologist Mark Lotz, 10 panthers have been killed in 2009. Seven were killed by vehicles and two were killed by other panthers.

Florida panthers are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act, which makes it illegal to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect them.” Panthers are also protected under Florida law.

USFWS special agents and FWC investigators are looking into the case. The federal penalty is up to one year in prison and a fine of $100,000 per individual. In addition, the state penalty is up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

The reward is provided by a diverse group of organizations: USFWS, FWC, the Humane Society, Defenders of Wildlife, Florida Wildlife Federation, Bergeron Family of Companies, Big Cypress Sportsmen’s Alliance, Everglades Coordinating Council and Florida Airboat Association.

“The FWC encourages anyone with information that leads to an arrest in this case to come forward, so we can bring the person or persons responsible for this crime to justice,” FWC Capt. Jeff Ardelean said. “It is our agency’s mission to protect and preserve the rare and magnificent panther, the state’s official animal, for future generations.”

People with information about the killing of this panther are urged to call the USFWS’s Office of Law Enforcement at 239-561-8144. To remain anonymous, call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.