Adorable Baby Florida Panther Is Born

Awwww.... Happy panther news! On Saturday, biologists in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park (near Naples) found a Florida panther kitten that was about one month old. They believe the kitten's mother is a panther who was rescued, along with her brother, in 2011 when their mom was found dead. The...

By Deirdra Funcheon

June 27, 2013

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Awwww.... Happy panther news! On Saturday, biologists in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park (near Naples) found a Florida panther kitten that was about one month old.

They believe the kitten's mother is a panther who was rescued, along with her brother, in 2011 when their mom was found dead. The female was five months old when she was rescued, and both siblings were raised at the White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee. The female was released into the wild this January, and the male was released in April. Biologists think the female got pregnant when she was 21 months old -- young for a panther.

"Kitten survival rates are pretty low, but this kitten looked healthy and feisty," said Onorato. "The kitten has a chance of one day contributing to the population as well."

There are 100 to 160 Florida panthers alive in the wild, scientists believe.

For more information, see the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's website.

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