'It brings us hope': Mother panther, kittens captured on video in Hendry County
Panther sightings are not out of the ordinary for the Florida Wildlife Federation, but seeing a mother panther followed by three spotted panther kittens is much rarer.
The Florida Wildlife Federation captured photos and videos of a mother panther and a cluster of kittens during an ongoing study at Keri Road and Corkscrew Road in Hendry County.
The panthers, an endangered species, were seen crossing through the Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest on April 12 at 5:52 a.m. and April 13 at 6:56 p.m. and 6:58 p.m.
"We don’t see kittens on the cameras that often, so this is something that we were excited to see," said Meredith Budd, Southwest Florida field representative for the Florida Wildlife Federation. "That’s not to say they’re not out there, they’re just rarer for us to capture on our wildlife movement cameras.”
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The panther footage was discovered by Daniel Smith, the transportation ecologist contracted to conduct the study, Budd said. Smith periodically collects the footage off the cameras set up along the Keri Road corridor, then reviews it.
The Florida Wildlife Federation is conducting the study to determine best locations for potential wildlife crossings. The Keri Road corridor has not been previously studied for panther movement, Budd said.
“We initiated the study along Keri Road so we can document where the panthers are moving along that corridor,” Budd said. “Then, perhaps, if there’s will and funding, we could propose potential wildlife crossings based on the findings of the study.”
The study is set to be released this summer.
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Budd said panthers are the guiding “umbrella species,” meaning what is good for the panther is going to be good for all native wildlife.
“It brings us hope,” Budd said. “It’s very inspiring to see kittens out there. Seeing footage of kittens means we’re having new litters, and so that sheds hope on an increasing panther population, which is ultimately our goal. We are working to protect wildlife habitat because that’s what they need to survive and to sustain populations.”