Vehicles once again rank as the greatest lethal threat to the official state animal, the Florida panther, according to data collected by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The agency, which publishes the data at its online portal Panther Pulse, listed 22 panther deaths this year, a decline from last year’s 27 reported deaths.
Of the 22 dead panthers found this year, 19 were reported as killed by a car. Last year, 85%, or 23 of the 27 dead panthers found, were killed by vehicles. For contrast, 11 newborns in four litters were reported in 2020 and 11 kittens in five litters were reported in 2019.
The FWC estimates there are between 120-230 adult panthers living in the state. The subspecies of cougar was down to about 30 panthers in the early 1990s.