Nearly
70% of Florida panthers were killed by vehicles in 2012
December
2012. This year, 15 radio collared females have given birth to 40 kittens and
the uncollared population has produced many unknown litters. In fact, remote
trail cameras on the 26,000-acre Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge
detected two uncollared family groups on the refuge.
These
images of an uncollared female panther moving her three kittens to another den
may be the first time anyone has captured a photo of a panther
moving her kittens between den sites. It is possible that she moved
them when her original dens site got too wet due to 1.03 inches of rainfall in
the 24 hours before these photos were taken.
Two
months later, on November 25, 2012, the cameras captured the same female with
all three kittens following her closely. (Look closely in the bushes in front
of the camera for the third kitten).
"These photos were taken about one mile from where the original photos of her relocating her den site and could be the kittens first time out of the new den," said Kevin Godsea, Project Leader at Florida Panther and Thousand Island National Wildlife Refuges.
"These photos were taken about one mile from where the original photos of her relocating her den site and could be the kittens first time out of the new den," said Kevin Godsea, Project Leader at Florida Panther and Thousand Island National Wildlife Refuges.
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