Florida Panther Genetic Restoration Progress Report

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Information provided by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission

January - June 2000

Editors Note: Due to the length of this past capture season (which ended in May) I was unable to prepare a genetic restoration report last quarter for the period Jan-March 2000. I’d like to apologize to those who missed their "fix". This report, therefore, covers the entire period from January through June, 2000. You will undoubtedly see that I (along with the other capture team members) was too busy doing the work to write about it.

Genetic restoration of the Florida panther population has been very successful with 36 progeny being derived from Texas cougars and their subsequent offspring, 20 of which are currently radio-collared. This has necessitated a more precise categorization to document lineage. "F1" denotes offspring of Florida panther x Texas cougar; "F2" denotes offspring of F1 x F1. "Back-crosses" are further broken down. "B-FL" denotes offspring of F1 x Florida panther; "B-TX" denotes offspring of F1 x Texas cougar.

TX101 - TX101's collar was changed on 10 January while in the game pen on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation. We could hear her radio signal from the parking lot and caught her very quickly. Because we finished so early with her we continued hunting and caught #73F1 (see below). The contraceptive implant preventing TX101 from getting pregnant was replaced. On 31 March, TX101's radio-collar was emitting the mortality beat during the panther flight. She was recovered that morning just west of the game pen on the Reservation. She was taken up to the vet school at the University of Florida in Gainesville for necropsy the next day. Unfortunately, the carcass was too badly autolysized (decomposed) to determine a cause of death.

  • #65F1 - This panther continues to use the area south of CR 846 known as Sadie Cypress north into Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest. #66F1 - As previously mentioned, #66F1 gave birth to 3 kittens in December 1999 which were examined at the den on Christmas Eve day. We suspected when the kittens were old enough to follow behind their mother she would lead them south of CR858 (west of SR 29) to her usual haunts. She did exactly this on 28 February. Unfortunately the male kitten,K76, did not survive his trek across the road; he was struck and killed. Number 66F1 hung around the road for a few days presumably searching for her lost kitten. Her activity pattern indicated she was still raising the other kittens up until May 1 when her collar prematurely failed.
  • #73F1 - This cat’s collar had dropped off last October. We caught up to her in the game pen of the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation on 10 January; the same day we re-collared TX101. Two panthers were treed simultaneously, a male and a female. Because there was a good chance the female panther was #73F1 we opted to capture her. A check of the transponder (and the ear tattoo) confirmed we had captured our quarry. The male panther we saw in the tree could have been her kitten that we later captured or possibly an uncollared adult that we trailed several miles to the west the following day. On 24 March #73F1 was observed from the air in the company of an uncollared male panther. No denning activity resulted from this encounter.
    • #84B-FL - This male was captured while he was with his mother (#73F1) in the game pen on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation on 11 February. He was estimated to be about 1 year old at the time of capture. His father was an uncollared Florida panther. Number 84B-FL began dispersal movements by mid-late March. Over the weekend of 7-9 April he became the third collared panther to cross north of the Caloosahatchee River. (Panther #62 crossed in April 1998 and is still alive and prospecting the state, #74B-FL crossed in May 1999 and was killed on US 27 in September 1999). Panther #84B-FL used the Fisheating Creek area for the next couple of weeks. On 21 April his collar was detected in mortality during the panther flight. His carcass was retrieved in very fresh condition. There was no sign of foul play or aggression with other panthers and he was in excellent physical condition. Disappointingly, a cause of death could not be determined. It is still a mystery. However, an unidentified virus was isolated and sent to the Center for Disease Control for identification. We are still awaiting those results. It is not known at this time what, if any, implications those results will have.

  • #79F1 - This male seemingly dominates the Big Cypress National Preserve while he travels throughout the Turner River and Corn Dance Units. He has associated with most of the collared females (#55, TX107, #70F1, #71F1) at various times.
    • #87B-FL - This female offspring of #55 (likely sired by #79F1) was collared on 28 February. Field sign at the time of her capture revealed presence of a male sibling (#55 gave birth to 2 kittens). Panther #87B-FL dispersed when she was 11 months old. Her range includes portions of the Turner River and Corn Dance units.
TX105 - TX 105 generally occupied areas to the west and southwest of Long Pine Key (LPK) and east of Sisal Pond in Everglades National Park. TX 105 displayed denning behavior in mid-July last year but detecting evidence of her kitten(s) has been challenging. She was treed various times in an attempt to capture and collar any offspring without success. Even an opportune sighting from the air couldn’t confirm TX 105 had kittens. Ultimately on 1 May we treed a female kitten along with TX105 in a small hardwood hammock about 2 miles southwest of LPK. The kitten became panther #94F1 and was 10 months old at the time of her capture. She has yet to disperse. After #94F1's capture the pair spent time in areas from southwest of LPK to the "400 Hammocks" and "Tomato Patch" areas.

TX106 - TX106's collar was replaced on 21 January in the Picayune Strand State Forest. When the dogs were led towards TX106's radio-signal they began trailing 2 cats indicating the presence of a kitten. Previous ground tracking suggested that only one of the 2 kittens was still alive. Following is an accounting of that capture.

  • #83F1 - Panther #83F1 was initially captured on 8 February in the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve. Some of us were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of TX106 and her kitten cross Jane’s Scenic Drive (near gate 19) early in the morning before the entire team had assembled. This sighting confirmed our suspicion that only one kitten existed and established our objective of only needing to catch one kitten. Unfortunately, this collar began malfunctioning within a couple of weeks necessitating replacement. This was done on 24 February in the Picayune Strand State Forest. Panther #83F1 dispersed during the first half of May when she was 11 months old. Since leaving her natal range she has primarily occupied Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve south of Jane’s Scenic Drive and West Main Tram (gate 7).

TX107 - TX107's radio-collar prematurely failed in October 1999. While searching for her we determined through tracks that she was still around and was raising 2 kittens. We came close to capturing her a few times but always seemed to be just a day behind the family group. On 10 April, we finally captured her female kitten, #93B-TX , as verified by the transponder chip. Unfortunately, this didn’t give us the link to TX107 we were hoping for because the kitten dispersed shortly after her capture. Ultimately, TX107 was recaptured on 19 April in the same strand where we captured #93B-TX. A contraceptive implant was inserted because her component of genetic restoration has been met. Tracks near the capture scene indicated her male kitten was still traveling with her. Since reestablishing contact with TX107 she has used the Turner River and Corn Dance Units of Big Cypress National Preserve.

  • #93B-TX - As just mentioned, this female kitten was first collared on 10 April at 14 months of age. She has not been with her mother since her capture. However, she was capable of surviving on her own. She has used the Windmill Prairie area in the Turner River Unit.
  • #70F1 - #70F1 gave birth to 3 kittens last June 1999. Her collar prematurely failed on 24 January, 2000, while in the Turner River Unit. Capture efforts have resulted in collaring all 3 of her kittens. They are all still together and using the southwestern Turner River Unit including west of Turner River road south of Upper Wagon Wheel Road. The kittens collared were female #88F2 on 2 March; female #91F2 on 17 March; and male #92F2 on 6 April. The decision was made not to harass this family further in order to preserve the integrity of the group.
  • #71F1 - Evidence has been found indicating that #71F1 is successfully raising 3 of the 4 kittens that were born last June in areas south of I-75 to the northern portions of the Turner River and Corn Dance Units. Two kittens have been collared. Female
  • #86F2 was first collared on 21 February and male kitten #90F2 was first collared 8 March.

TX108 - TX 108 maintained her usual haunts in Everglades National Park as she traveled throughout Long Pine Key and areas to the west, the "Hole-In-The-Donut", and "400 Hammocks". She was observed from the air on several occasions. But the most exciting was on 20 March when she was observed chasing 2 deer in an area to the southwest of LPK.

  • #61F1 - Panther #61F1 (whose collar quit in April 1999) was captured and re-collared on 17 February along with her 10 month old male kitten #85B-FL on the eastern end of Long Pine Key (LPK) in Everglades National Park. The kitten was treed and worked up first, which was immediately followed by the capture of his mother. After collaring, the mother/son pair ventured from west of LPK to north of the Homestead airport. The twosome were observed from the air on two occasions in April but #85B-FL dispersed by 14 April.
    • #85B-FL- Panther #85B-FL was first collared on 17 February. Scanning the subcutaneously inserted transponder verified he was the progeny of female Panther #61F1 and male Panther #16. He remained with his mother until mid-April when he dispersed. In May and June he made extensive movements to the north of Homestead General Airport, staying in close proximity to the eastern boundary of the Park. He concentrated most of his movements in areas to the northwest of the old Chekika State Park.

Contributors: Mark Lotz, David Shindle, Darrell Land (FWC); Jason Osborne, Mario Alvarado, Khabira Al-Muhyee, Sonny Bass (ENP); Deborah Jansen (BCNP).