Florida Panthers

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.

Conservation groups notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Tarpon Blue Silver King I, LLC, today of their intent to file suit in federal court to protect endangered Florida panthers from a massive new development within the panthers’ occupied breeding habitat in southwest Florida.

The Florida Wildlife Commission has reported the first Florida panther death of 2026, a one-and-a-half to two-year-old female found at a Collier County location.

The Florida Wildlife Commission reports that a third panther has been found dead since the beginning of December.The most recent big cat death is a 9-month-old, male Florida panther. Remains of the juvenile animal were collected on Monday in Hendry County and the suspected cause of death is vehicle collision.

The seventeenth Florida panther death was reported Friday by the Florida Wildlife Commission. It was the sixteenth big cat death by vehicle impact in 2025.

The Florida Wildlife Commission is reporting the death of a 5–6-year-old, male Florida panther whose remains were collected Wednesday in Hendry County. The FWC said the suspected cause of death is by vehicle collision.