Annual Performance Report: Florida Panther Genetic Restoration and Management

Johnson, Kenneth; Land, E.; Lotz, Mark

Telemetry data were collected on 18 radio-collared Florida panthers (Felis concolor coryi) and six Texas cougars (F. c. stanleyana) in south Florida during the reporting period. Mortalities of instrumented panthers included three males and two females; two males died from intraspecific aggression, a female died of pleuritis from a chest puncture, another female was road killed, and the third male's cause of death remains unknown pending necropsy. No Texas cougars died during the study period. Three additional panthers were collared during capture work in 1995 bringing the number of monitored panthers to 16 by 30 June 1995. Four females denned during the past year; four neonate kittens (3 females, 1 male) were examined at two dens and two kittens were marked with transponders. Florida panthers showed spatial use patterns similar to previous years. Movements of Texas cougars were generally within habitat areas utilized by Florida panthers and the occasional movements in atypical areas such as mangroves and suburban areas were probably typical of animals exploring unfamiliar terrain. Social interactions have occurred between Texas cougars and both female and male Florida panthers.