Rescued Male Florida Panther Released into Wild

A male Florida panther that was rescued as a kitten was finally released into the wild Wednesday night by biologists and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The panther was released at the Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area that is along the borders of Palm Beach, Broward and Hendry counties, according to a news release.

"We chose this location because it is part of the species' known range, and it should provide ample undeveloped area for the panther to acclimate into the wild," said Darrell Land, FWC panther team leader.

The panther was rescued in September 2011 along with its sister as kittens, when they were 5 months old. They were rescued from the northern Collier County. They were kept in captivity at the White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee, where they were raised.

The panthers wouldn't have survived without the support of the White Oak staff.

The female panther was released in Collier County in the month of February. Based on the post-release monitoring, it was seen that the female panther adapted quiet well to the surroundings, and behaved like a wild female panther.

The 2-year-old male panther is tagged healthy by the FWC biologists and has grown to a size where it should be ready to survive in the wild.

"We are pleased with the progress of the female since her release," said Land. "Young males face the additional survival challenge of potential confrontations with older males, but we believe our choice of a release site will minimize the risk of such encounters." 

According to the reports, nearly 100-160 adult and subadult endangered panthers are present in south Florida.

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