http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs....505080486/1075
Maybe if we stopped developing every tiny patch of land available, these endangered species may stand a chance.
Released panther dies in second bout with vehicle
A Florida panther that spent 10 months in captivity recuperating from injuries caused by a collision with a car was killed Saturday night by another vehicle along the same stretch of U.S. 41 where the first one happened, state wildlife officials said.
"We would have thought this panther would have been more cautious around the road," said Willie Puz, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The panther was hit and killed on U.S. 41 in southern Collier County near the Turner River Road intersection shortly after 6 p.m., Puz said.
With about 80-100 Florida panthers left in the wild, every animal is considered vital to the endangered species' long-term survival. That's why officials had considered recovery of the 3-year-old panther first hit by a car in July 2004 a success story. The female panther known only as "FP 120" was released Wednesday into a remote area of the Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County.
In the last decade, there have been 55 documented cases of a Florida panther being struck by a vehicle, said Deborah Jansen, a wildlife biologist for the National Park Service.
This cat was the first of the bunch to be nursed back to health and returned to the wild, Jansen said. Some were found dead on the road before they could be treated. Others died while receiving treatment.
Biologists equipped the panther with a radio collar like the one it had before the injury. On Friday, wildlife officials tracked the animal within a half mile of U.S. 41, not far from the site where a vehicle first hit it, Jansen said. In two days, the animal traveled about seven miles from where it was released.
Vehicles remain the second leading cause of death to Florida panthers behind aggression amongst themselves, state wildlife records show. Unlike roads including Interstate 75, which have fences and underground crossings for panthers and animals, this stretch of U.S. 41 within panther habitat doesn't have protection from vehicles other than slow speed zones.
The 90-pound panther suffered a broken leg, severe blood loss and canine teeth damage when it was struck by a car July 11, 2004, on U.S. 41 in a panther slow speed zone near Ochopee.
The injuries may have been much worse except a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer was patrolling the panther zone shortly before the cat was hit, Jansen said. The injured panther underwent treatment at the University of Florida Veterinary School in Gainesville before going to White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee, where threatened or endangered animals are rehabilitated and preserved.
White Oak Director David Thompson called the panther's rehabilitation "uneventful" because there were no major problems. The animal's damaged canine teeth were a concern, but a dentist in Gainesville concluded the animal could still use her teeth to kill prey and eat.
During a 10-month recovery, the panther spent time in a conditioning pen. Deer and other prey were put inside to keep the predator's instincts sharp.
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