During 2009-2010, 25 Pumas were killed in Florida annually, most due to car collisions..............The "Cats" need more room to roam; More protected land in the middle and northern portions of Florida is required.............To have 25% (likely 100 Pumas exist in Florida) of your population killed each year is inviting disaster regarding long term prospects for survival........If disease kicks in to the equation, our remaining Pumas found east of the Mississippi River could easily blink out............ Georgia and other sections of the Appalachians also hold promise for Puma restoration............We need political muscle and resolve from some strong leaders to make this happen...............Do such people still exist in our current American climate of inaction?

8th Florida panther death of 2012 reported

nbcnews2.com

HENDRY COUNTY, FL -

An approximately 9-week-old Florida panther kitten died in the care of an emergency veterinary clinic in Naples after being taken from the wild after being found with severe injuries on Thursday evening.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the kitten was found conscious in an orange grove 380 meters north of Church Road in Hendry County.

Pumas once ranged across the Southeast.............and clear up and down, east and west through North America

map of Florida Puma deaths since 2002

He was taken to the emergency veterinary clinic and died at 1:00 a.m. on Saturday. The cause of death is currently unknown, but FWC says the injuries are consistent with trauma associated with a vehicle strike.

The carcass will be transported to the FWC Wildlife Research Lab in Gainesville for a complete necropsy.

This is the eighth panther mortality for 2012.