Florida’s Future Felidae

A Florida Panther Kitten      
Picture credit: FWC

Greetings from the Sunshine State.
Please say hello to the newest member of the critically Endangered Florida Panther Family.
Now, if you don’t have the great pleasure of living here, chances are that you may have never heard of, nor have ever seen, our beautiful Florida Panther.
This rarest of the rare, of America’s most Endangered animals, whose numbers hover currently between 100-160 and although they may have difficult challenges ahead, for the moment at least, there is reason for unexhilerated joy.
Several years ago, a pair of very young orphaned Panthers were taken in and rehabilitated by Florida Fish and Wildlife and when they were finally able to fend for themselves, they were set up to be tracked and then released back into the wild.
Such great thought was given as to the exact location where the young female was released, that she found a mate quite quickly and   “ oh glory days, ”   has just given birth to a kitten.
This is cause for such great celebration, for a species that has had so little to feel good about for more than twenty years.
Now, this little girl will hopefully grow up and one day soon, will also bring another new life to her fragile species.
Every new life added to the Florida Panther world, is one step closer to avoiding the extinction, that just a short time ago looked absolutely inevitable.