Florida panther that killed livestock may be at risk if caught by wildlife officials

TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Panther was once on the verge of extinction and still, there are believed to be fewer than 230 in the wild.

But there's one Florida panther in the cross hairs of wildlife officials, who say it needs to be captured or, some fear, killed.

The specific animal is known by researchers as FP-260. It’s the same panther that was hit by a car in Southwest Florida in 2020. 

Fortunately, he wasn’t seriously injured and he was released back into the wild just weeks later. 

Florida Phoenix Columnist and author Craig Pittman believes this animal that once cheated death may now be marked for death by federal wildlife authorities.

"To either capture and keep it in captivity for the rest of its life or to humanely kill it," says Pittman, author of Cat Tales. 

His 2020 book on the panther chronicled the experiment that brought in Texas cougars to mate with Florida panthers and help save the species in Florida.

But Panther FP-260 went hunting off refuge land and onto a nearby ranch where he killed at least 10 calves.

Elizabeth Fleming of Defenders of Wildlife says she understands the plight of the rancher who lost thousands of dollars worth of livestock, but she doesn’t agree with the possible remedies.

"I just don’t think this panther has exhibited the kind of behavior that warrants taking it out of the wild," she says.

Fleming says the federal government compensates ranchers for livestock killed by panthers, even though she says the process to get paid is laborious.

However, another allegation claims Panther 260 could be a danger to humans, even though it has run from humans in the past.

"This cat is not a threat to people, this cat is just being a cat," says Pittman.

"They piled all the blame on this one panther," says Pittman. "But, that doesn’t get rid of the problem. Other panthers will also want to eat calves."

A spokesperson from the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, which has jurisdiction over Florida panthers, posted on social media that the agency has no plans to kill the panther, but the animal could be a candidate for permanent captivity.

As the cats come in contact with livestock and growing neighborhoods, some might say the problems are born of the success of saving the Florida panther.