FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - A female panther found dead in the Big Cypress National Preserve leaves behind a genetic legacy crucial to the endangered big cats.
A necropsy is pending for 16-year-old Florida Panther 191, which was found dead Friday. Mark Lotz of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says its mother was one of eight female Texas cougars released in Florida in the 1990s as part of a plan to bring panthers back from the brink of extinction.
There are upward of 180 Florida panthers roaming wild today. Lotz tells the News-Press (https://newspr.es/1FsSqUL ) that Panther 191 could have contributed to the population rebound with many kittens, including a litter documented just a few years ago.
Lotz says a similar cougar project may be needed to prevent inbreeding in the panthers’ small range.
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Information from: The (Fort Myers, Fla.) News-Press, https://www.news-press.com
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