The FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) announced some good news yesterday: A Florida panther gave birth to a litter of three kittens. So far so good for these little ones, although wildlife officials say the survival rate is relatively low for this species (just 32% of Florida panther kittens make it through their first year). Sadly, FWRI says this same mother panther lost her litter of three last season due to predation, likely a black bear.
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“We’re happy to introduce you to K525, K526, and K527!” wrote FWRI in a Facebook post sharing photos of the three adorable babies. FWRI’s Florida panther team assesses kittens when they’re 2-4 weeks old, according to the post, using GPS data from the mother’s collar to ascertain when she has briefly left the den to hunt.
Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) are a rare subspecies of mountain lion native only to southern Florida. The Nature Conservancy reports there are likely only a couple hundred of these animals left in the wild, making news like this very welcome to wildlife conservationists.