NAPLES, FLORIDA – A young Florida panther kitten is getting a second chance at survival after wildlife biologists intervened when its mother stopped returning to care for it.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), a female Florida panther was fitted with a radio collar during the agency’s 2026 panther capture season. Shortly after being collared, GPS tracking data indicated the panther had established a den.
Biologists with the FWC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service located the den and confirmed it contained a single kitten. For several weeks, tracking data showed the mother was regularly returning to the den and caring for her offspring.
However, biologists later noticed the mother had stopped visiting the den. After monitoring the situation for two weeks without the mother’s return, officials determined the kitten’s health was rapidly declining…