Three Endangered Panthers Killed By Vehicles in One Week

Three endangered Florida panthers were hit and killed by separate vehicles this week.

The Associated Press reported that the remains of a four-month-old panther were found on Tuesday within Big Cypress National Preserve and a three-year-old panther was found dead that day on the edge of the park. The remains of a 10-year-old panther were also found on Tuesday just north of Southwest Florida International Airport.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida panthers represent the only known breeding population of puma in the eastern United States, but they were placed on the endangered species list in 1967.

The agency has worked with the state of Florida, other federal agencies, and private groups to recover the species, and formed the Florida Panther Recovery Implementation Team in 2013.

"Historically, this subspecies occurred throughout the southeastern United States from Arkansas and Louisiana eastward across Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and parts of South Carolina," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website read. "Today, the panther is presently restricted to less than 5 percent of its historic range in a single breeding population in southern Florida."

The recovery efforts helped to increase the panther population. Officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stated that before 2016, no female panthers or kittens were found north of the Caloosahatchee River since 1973. However, there was evidence found of a female panther crossing the river in 2016. That female panther was later confirmed to have mated and produced two litters of kittens in 2017.

Officials wrote that the recovery goal is to get the Florida panther to a point where it can be reclassified from endangered to threatened, then removed from the federal list of endangered and threatened species.

These efforts face some challenges, however, and potential habitats for the panthers are adversely affected by urbanization, road construction and residential development.

Though they're described as reclusive and are rarely seen by people, living in remote and undeveloped areas, the number of people living in southern Florida is growing. That increases the likelihood of an encounter with a panther.

The Associated Press reported that of the 24 total Florida panther deaths so far this year, 18 of the deaths are due to a fatal collision. Up to 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.

Officials announced that 23 birds, fish and other species are now extinct in the United States as of this week. According to an article published by Newsweek, scientists with the federal government said climate change and environmental pressures may lead to more extinctions.

Newsweek has reached out to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for further comment but did not hear back by press time.