Pregnant Florida panther, unborn cubs die after being hit by car

A pregnant Florida panther hit by a vehicle in Southwest Florida died this morning in Gainesville a day after being struck.

The three cubs it was carrying died earlier.

The panther was found alive alongside State Road 29 about five miles south of Immokalee about 2 a.m. Tuesday. A passing driver called 911 but officials do not know who hit the endangered cat.

The panther was struck only a few miles from where a young male was killed by a car in June.

The latest death means 14 panthers have died this year, not including the three kittens the panther was carrying.

Florida panthers have been listed as an endangered species since 1967. An estimated 100 to 200 remain in the state.

The pregnant panther was taken to a veterinarian in Naples where it was stabilized and then transported to the University of Florida School of Veterinary Medicine, said Patricia Behnke, a spokeswoman for the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Biologists believe a combination of injuries from the accident and stress from long sedation combined to kill the panther, Behnke said. The panther had to be under sedation for treatment and for the safety of itself and people caring for it.

"Wild animals do not handle sedation for a long time and they do not make good patients. You can't hook them to monitors," she said.

Earlier examinations led officials to believe the panther was in relatively good shape. Veterinarians did not believe it was bleeding internally and expected it to recover, Behnke said. The panther had an injured hip but was able to stand and walk and her tail and some toes were broken.

The cubs had not been removed from their mother, which may have contributed to its death.

In addition to the 14 panthers that died this year, wildlife workers found the skeletal remains of another in January. Commission biologists believe that panther died several months before its remains were discovered, though they do not know how it died.

Of the 14 panthers killed in 2010, 11 were struck by vehicles. Three died in fights with other panthers.

Drivers in panther habitat need to be cautious between dusk and dawn when the animals are active, Behnke said.

"They need to slow down," she said.

To reduce the possibility of cars encountering cats, the state built wildlife underpasses on Interstate 75 and State Road 29 and installed fence on portions two of the major roads through panther habitat.

But fencing isn't a perfect solution, Behnke said, because it divides habitat the panthers use. Also, it would cost up to $4 million to fence State Road 29.

However, panther safety will be looked at when the state goes ahead with plans to widen State Road 29 to four lanes.

"These concerns are going to come up and have to be addressed," Behnke said.

The state's panther population is mostly confined to the state's tip south of the Caloosahatchee River, or roughly from the middle of Lake Okeechobee south.

Some young males have been found north of the river looking for territories of their own. No female panthers, that need less than half the range of a male, have been found north of the river.

A male needs about 200 square miles while females, that share territory with their mothers, need about 75.