Rehabilitated Florida Panther Released into the Wild

An endangered rescued Florida panther was released in to the wild Monday, by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials.

Last May, the FWC along with its partners rescued the kitten in Collier County after it was struck by a vehicle. The then 9-month female kitten suffered multiple fractures in rib, right hind leg and had bruising around the lungs. She was shifted to the Animal Speciality Hospital in Florida. The tiny kitten was operated and fitted with a steel plate to fix the broken bones.

The surgery lasted for three hours and was performed by Dr. Daniel Lewis, a professor of small animal surgery.

"We are grateful to our partners that helped make the rescue and rehabilitation of this panther possible," said Darrell Land of the FWC.

The unnamed panther showed great improvement and recovered quickly from the surgery. From the hospital she was shifted to White Oak, a conservation center in Yulee. It is officials at this conservation center that helped the rescued panther recover completely until she was ready for release. The panther was released in Hendry County.

"We are pleased that we have been able to successfully rescue, rehabilitate and release this panther back into the wild," said FWC Commissioner Ron Bergeron, in a news release. "We believe this panther has a good chance of contributing to progress we are making in the recovery of this population."

Listed as an endangered species by the IUCN, the Florida panther is mostly found in Southern Florida in the U.S..  In the year 2013 it was reported that just 160 Florida panthers exist in the wild.

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