Stricken Florida Panther Kitten May Not Make It To The Wild

NAPLES (CBSMiami) – An endangered Florida panther kitten that was hit by a car will most likely not make it back to his home in the wild, vets said.

On his way to work, a Florida Panther Wildlife Refuge volunteer found the unresponsive 12-week-old male kitten along the road April 23.

Rescuers took the kitten to the Animal Specialty Hospital of Florida in Naples for treatment. Veterinarians couldn't find any major injuries, but believed the kitten suffered head-trauma.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist Dave Onorato said it is unlikely the panther would recover enough to be released into the wild.

The kitten was transferred to Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo for further rehabilitation.

This is the third kitten and seventh panther overall to receive rehab at the zoo. A male panther died April 7 from injuries also consistent with a vehicle strike.

Collisions with vehicles are the top human-related cause of Florida panther deaths. More than a third of panther deaths documented in 2011 were the result of vehicle strikes. Drivers are encouraged to slow down and drive carefully in rural areas where panthers are known to live.

An estimated 100 to 160 adults of this federally endangered species live in the wild.

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