Summary of Individual Mountain Lion Movements and Activities

(Lions involved in the Florda Panther Reintroduction Feasibility Study)

T01 T02 T30 T31 T32 T33
T35 T36 T37 T38 T39 T40
T41 T42 T43 T45 T46 T48
T01
T01, a 9-10 year-old, wild-caught/captive-held (8 years) female, and her 2 captive-born and raised, 14 month-old kittens (T45, T46) were released into the study area 25 May 1994. T01 left after spending a few days with her yearlings in the vicinity of the release pens. her offspring, possibly as a result of having been in captivity their entire lives, did not follow their mother and were never located with her again.

T01 traveled northeast to the vicinity of Taylor, Florida, where she remained until 25 August 1994, when she left and traveled westward to the Suwannee river, where she remained until December 1994. She was captured inside a fox pen on 16 December 1994 after several flights revealed little movement. She was transported to the original release site and released. She then wandered north into the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge before returning by 20 January 1995 to the Suwannee River north of White Springs, where she remained until the study ended. She was located with T42 several times in June 1995.

T02
T02, a 9 year-old, wild-caught/captive-held (8 years) year female and her 5 month-old, 9 kg, female kitten (T47) were released 26 June 1994. They remained together in the vicinity of the pens until 18 July 1994, when T02 was located approximately 3 km west of her kitten. T02 returned briefly to the vicinity of her kitten 20 July 1994 before leaving and making a kill approximately 6 km away. T02 remained in the vicinity of her kill until 29 July 1994. It was becoming apparent by this time that T47 had been abandoned, perhaps to her refusal or inability to follow her mother. T47 had been along and in the same location near the pens for two weeks. apparently without food. T47 was captured and removed from the study on 1 August 1994. She was in good health although very thin. It appears that being compelled to follow her mother was not a skill easily taught or learned in captivity, where the use area was only a few hectares, food was abundant, and eating was not dependent upon travel with her mother.

T02 increased her movements, wandering west to the Suwannee River, before settling into an area around the northern end of Little Creek. She remained there until she was found feeding on a newborn calf with T45 on 14 November 1994 and removed from the study.

T30
T30, a wild-caught/captive held (2 years), 4 year-old female, was released 22 February 1993. She moved northeasterly through the Pinhook Swamp after leaving the release site, crossing highway 2 near the Eddy fire tower. She then moved to the northwest, closely following the highway and adjacent railroad tracks, to the Jones Creek watershed north of Fargo, Georgia, where her movements became more restricted and predictable. She was captured on 12 April 1993 after landowner complaints about her presence and released approximately 41 km away in Osceola National Forest. She returned to the vicinity of Jones Creek within 11 days. She was captured and removed from the study 28 April 1993.
T31
T31, a 2 year-old, captive-born female, was released 22 February 1993. She traveled west to the hardwood forests that lie in the floodplain along the Suwannee River by mid-March 1993. She remained in the vicinity of the river until she was captured 27 June 1995 when the study ended.

T31 was frequently located with male T33 (an unsuccessfully vasectomized male) during the spring and summer of 1993. Her movements became very localized during August 1993, and the area she utilized diminished from 48 sq km to 29 sq km. A search of her presumptive den site found no kittens or evidence of kittens, and she was soon thereafter located with T33 again, suggesting that her kittens, if any, had died or that she had experienced a false pregnancy.

T33was removed for the final time on 7 April 1994. T31 then expanded her home range to include the Little Creek area, where she was frequently located with male T45. During this time (1 July 1994 - 27 June 1995) she had a home range of 78 sq km. She was captured on 27 June 1995 as the field portion of the study ended.

T32
T32, a 2 year-old, captive-born female, was released on 22 February 1993. She remained in the vicinity of the release site through March 1993 before gradually expanding her range. She established a home range around Little Suwannee Creek, Little Creek, and the Suwannee River during the next 6 months. She was located with T33 from 18-20 March 1993 and from 28-30 June 1993. Her locations became restricted by the end of September 1993 to a 4.4 sq km area north of Little Creek where she apparently had a den. Attempts to document the presence of kittens with her during this time were unsuccessful. Her movements increased to 59.3 sq km by December 1993 as the kitten(s) began to travel with her, and she shifted her home range southward into commercial pinelands east of Little Creek. Her locations were generall associated with deer feeders within a few miles of Little Creek. She was observed by a hunter unsuccessfully stalking deer at a feeder in December 1993.

She was located with male T45 3 August and 7 November 1994. She was also occasionally located with and appeared to travel with females T02 and/or T46, often at the same time. She was found feeding on a new born calf on 9 November 1994 and removed from the study the next day.

A 54 kg male cougar (T51) was captured 29 April 1995, 2.1 km south of Waldo, Florida. Blood from T51 was sent to the National Cancer Institutes Laboratory of Viral Carcinogenesis for DNA analysis. The results indicated a 100% match at 21 short tandem repeat polymorphism (STRP) microsatellite chromosomal loci that indicated that T33 and T32 were the parents of T51 (P=<0.01).

T33
T33, a captive-born, 1.5 year-old male, was released 22 February 1993 and remained around the release site for approximately 3 weeks. He then used the area around Little Suwannee Creek before gradually expanding his home range to 145 sq km that included the forests along the eastern side of the Suwannee River. After being temporarily removed from the study due to numerous interactions with humans, he was released and eventually utilized a 88 sq km area that was very similar to the home range he established before his capture

T33 was responsible for at least 11 interactions with humans that ranged from mere observations of him along forest roads to livestock depredations. A significant portion of these interactions occurred during short periods of itme while he was on excursions out of his normal home range. He was temporarily removed from the study from 4 November 1993 to 10 February 1994 after being observed several times and possibly injuring a horse. Shortly after his second release he made an excursion to near Jasper, Florida, and while returning to his home range, killed a house cat near an occupied dwelling. He was captured and removed from the study 7 April 1994.

He was located at various times with females T31, T32, T39, and T41 while a part of this study. Although a vasectomy was performed on all males, including T33, it became apparent that his was not successful. He eventually sired kittens with T32, T39, and T41 as well as with a captive female after he had been removed from the study. He was caught and electroejaculated (23 July 1993) after he sired his first litter with T39 (2 July 1993), but no sperm were evident. This resulted in the erroneous conclusion that T39 had become impregnated with residual sperm left in T33s vas deferens after vasectomy. It was concluded that his vasectomy had not been successful when it became evident that he had sired kittens with 2 other females.

T35
T35, a 3 year-old, wild-caught male, was released 22 February 1993. He left the release site upon release and traveled west, made a large kill in the swamps near Little Suwannee Creek, and continued to move west. He made regular movements that ranged from the commercial pinelands near Tarver, Georgia to forests on and adjacent to Occidental phosphate mine north of White Springs, Florida.

T35 was last located on 17 April near Tarver. Radio signals from this animal could not be detected during numerous extensive aerial searches between 18 April 1993 and 30 April 1993. His tracks were found 19 April 1993 along a dirt road in Echols County, Georgia, approximately 7 km north of his last known location. Georgia Department of Natural Resources arrested a suspect on 13 July and charged him with killing T35. The suspect was able to lead investigators to the animals remains and confessed to killing it with a bow and arrow.

T36
T36, a 4 year-old, wild-caught male, was released 22 February 1993. He made a few exploratory forays westward, crossed the Suwannee River into Georgia, and returned to the vicinity of the release pens. He entered Carters Pasture, an exotic game hunting preserve on what appeared to be a return trip to the release site. He killed and consumed a male Spanish goat there on 8 March 1993. He was captured the next day and released 42 km away near the east boundary of the Osceola National Forest. He traveled northeast following this release and his movements between 10 April 1993 and 27 April 1993 were associated with the St. Marys River. He then made a 185+km trek from St. George, Georgia, to Levy County, Florida, between 28 March 1993 and 13 April 1993.

T36 spent the remainder of his life, 14 April 1993 to 24 November 1993 within a 421 sq. km home range in Levy County, Florida. We became concerned about the status of this animal when 4 consecutive locations indicated little or no movement between 20 and 24 November. Field observations on 24 November revealed that he was severely injured, able only to drag himself with his front legs. He was captured and euthanized after an examination revealed a single rifle bullet had severed his spine just anterior to the pelvis. Investigation of this incident by FGFWFC law enforcement officers did not result in an arrest.

T37
T37, a 1.5 year-old, wild-caught female, was released on 22 February 1993. She remained around the release site for 5 days before moving to the St. Marys River, where she remained for 2 weeks. She was found to be eating discarded chicken carcasses behind a commercial chicken operation. She then crossed the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and traveled south along the Suwannee River to Occidental WMA, where she spent a few days. She then turned north and spent 2 weeks on Grand Bay Creek near Valdosta, Georgia, before continuing her northward trek during the next month (12 May 1993 to 15 June 1993). She was captured on 16 June 1993 near Sylvania, Georgia, approximately 270 km from the release site. She was transported back to Florida and re-released in the Osceola National Forest. She then moved northeast and, for more than 2 months, restricted her movements to the hardwood forests along the St. Marys River south of Folkston, Georgia. She moved north to the Satilla River north of Folkston in August 1993, where, except for several excursions, she spent the remainder of her life in a 111.3 sq. km home range. She was struck by a vehicle and killed 7 March 1995 on I-95 while on an eastward excursion. As with most of the other animals that occasionally wandered out of their home range for a few days before returning, these excursions seemed to begin when T37 reached sexual maturity, and the majority occurred during the cooler months.
T38
T38, a 3 year-old, wild-caught female, was released 22 February 1993. After remaining around the release site for 4 days, she traveled northwest to Little Suwannee Creek, where she was located with T33 on several occasions. The remains of a hog were found at one of these sites. She traveled south along the Suwannee river to Deep Creek after 2 months and then southeast to commercial pinelands north of Lake butler WMA, where she remained until being killed on highway 301 near Maxville, Florida on 1 July 1993.
T39
T39, a 3 year-old, wild-caught female, was released 22 February 1993 and for the next 4 months ranged over a 123 sq. km area between Little Suwannee Creek and the junction of Deep Creek and the Suwannee River. She was located with T33 several times during this period. Her movements became restricted to a small area (7 sq. km) south of highway 6 near the Suwannee River on 2 July 1993. She displayed aggressive behavior indicative of denning when approached. She moved her kitten north of highway 6 after leaving the den on 30 August 1993 but made only small movements during the next 2 months. Tracks and other sign indicated the presence of a single kitten. She gradually increased her movements to include an area of 47.3 sq. km while traveling with her kitten. An attempt was made to capture and radio-instrument the kitten on 3 March 1994. The male kitten jumped from where it was treed and ran s short distance when darted. Although the kitten (T44) was handled within 90 seconds of jumping, it succumbed to the anesthesia while in a shallow puddle and aspirated water when its head came to rest in 6-8 cm of water. It was revived but died 3 days later. Necropsy revealed that the dart had hit a vein in the kittens shoulder, which caused the animal to become immobilized within seconds instead of the intended 6-10 minutes, as when the drug is administered intramuscularly.

T39 was found dead 30 march 1994. She had become entangled in a snare which severed her trachea and left jugular vein.

T40
T40, a 1.5 year-old wild-caught male, was released 22 February 1993 and remained around the release site for a week. He then traveled southeast and spent a month in a small (24 sq. km) area south of Macclenny, Florida. He then traveled north along the St. Marys River, made a large kill on White Oak Plantation, and continued north, paralleling highway 301 to near Jesup, Georgia. He was recaptured near Statesboro, Georgia on 22 June 1993 more than 240 km from the release site. He was transported back to Osceola National Forest and released. he had traveled northeast into Paulks Pasture WMA near Brunswick, Georgia by 2 August 1993, where he remained for 2 months. He was shot and wounded in the back with an arrow on 28 September 1993. He was captured and transported to the Gainesville wildlife Research Lab the next day. A suspect was arrested by Georgia Department of Natural Resources and convicted. T40 was treated and released back into Paulks Pasture 10 days after being shot and remained there until December 1993.

T40 shifted into a 1610 sq. km home range centered around the Canoochee River on Ft. Stewart Military Reservation after making a few northerly excursions. T40, now more than 2 years old and sexually mature, made numerous excursions away from Ft. Stewart during the next 6 months. Most of the excursions were westerly along the Altamaha and Ocmulgee rivers and 2 reached as far as Fitzgerald, Georgia, more than 160 km from the center of his Ft. Stewart home range. During June-July 1994, T40 gradually moved north, stopping 1 August 1994 near Louisville, Georgia. He used this area exclusively until November 1994, when he made a southern excursion that stopped just north of Ft. Stewart before returning to the vicinity of Louisville. He left Louisville in January 1995 and traveled north to an area near Washington Georgia, more than 380 km north of the original release site. This excursion and apparent shift in use areas carried him into areas beyond our ability to respond to potential emergency situations involving this animal, and he was recaptured on 24 January 1995 and removed from the study. T40 never established a home range with the exception of the 6 month period he remained on Ft. Stewart. He had a series of use areas that were utilized for a few weeks to a few months. Abandonment of a use area was generally preceded by a series of lengthy excursions. He was never located with a female during this study.

T41
T41, a 3 year-old, wild-caught female, and her 2 approximately 10 month-old, male kittens (T42 and T43) were released 15 July 1993 and used the area around Little Suwannee Creek until 27 September 1993. They moved westward and utilized the area along the Suwannee river until 4 November 1993 when T41 was located with T33. T42 and T43 soon left the Suwannee River and were never located with their mother.

T41 used a 72 sq. km area along the east side of the Suwannee River until 22 June 1994, when her movements became restricted to a very small area (13 sq. km), indicative of denning. she appeared to move her kitten(s) south to the area around Deep Creek in September 1994. She restricted her movements to a 11 sq. km area near the junction of Deep Creek and Suwannee River from 5 September 1994 until 31 January 1995. An 8 month-old, 31 male kitten was killed on highway 441 south of highway 6 on 25 February 1995. T41s presence nearby suggested that she was the mother. Subsequent field searches revealed the presence of another kitten traveling with her. This kitten, a 27 kg female (T49), was caught and radio-collared 20 March 1995. T41 and T49 were located 8 April 1995 inside Carters Pasture, where they had killed and consumed 2 Sika deer. The were caught and removed from the study.

T42
T42 was a 10 month-old, 32 kg kitten of T41 when he was released on 15 July 1993. He remained with his mother and brother (T43) until 4 November 1993, when his mother was located with male T33 near the Suwannee River. He left the vicinity of the Suwannee River and traveled northwest to the Alapaha River east of Valdosta, Georgia, by 24 November 1993. He occupied a home range of only 77 sq. km centered around the Alapaha River until 9 May 1994. He then gradually expanded his movements to the west to include Grand Bay Creek within the 179 sq. km he used during the next 3 months. He was captured and fitted with a new collar to accommodate growth on 9 August 1994. He had doubled his weight to 63 kg in 13 months. Shortly after capture, he shifted his use area to the east a few kilometers and made excursions to the north along the Alapaha river, eventually reaching the vicinity of Rebecca, Georgia, approximately 140 km away. He left the Alapaha River on 8 April 1995 and within a week returned to the Suwannee river, where he remained until the study ended in June 1995. He was located with females T01 and T31 after returning to the area around the Suwannee River.
T43
T43, brother of T42 and kitten of T41, weighed 31 kg and was approximately 10 months-old when released 15 July 1993. He remained with his mother and brother until 4 November 1993, when his mother was located with T33. He left the vicinity of the Suwannee River and traveled west, stopping at the Alapaha River near Jasper, Florida, for 2 weeks before continuing westward to an area southwest of Madison, Florida, where he remained for a month. He left this area and traveled northwest to the Ochlockonee River south of Cairo, Georgia, by 8 January 1994. He used a 64 sq. km area around the Ochlockonee river until May 1994, when he expanded his movements to include the Attapulgus Creek and Swamp Creek watersheds southwest of Cairo. He utilized 20+ m deep canyons in clay mines that had ceased operations some 50 years prior while in the Attapulgus Creek area. He was captured at the bottom of 1 of these canyons on 4 August 1994 and recollared. He weighed 63 kg. He continued to use this home range until 19 May 1995, when he left and traveled south to the area around the Econfina River west of Perry, Florida, where he remained until the study ended. He was removed 30 June 1995.
T45
T45, a 14 month-old, 39 kg, captive-raised male, was released 25 May 1994 with his mother (T01) and sister (T46). When his mother left the release site he did not follow her. He had wandered west tot he area around Little Creek that became the center of his home range by 17 June 1994. He was removed 15 November 1994 for killing and eating newborn calf. He was found feeding on this calf with T02. He was located with females T46, T32, T31, and T02 during his brief stay. He was occasionally located with more than 1 female at the same time.
T46
T46, a 14 month-old, 25 kg, captive-raised female, was released with her mother (T01) and brother (T45) on 25 May 1994. T46 did not go with her mother when she left the vicinity of the release pens. Instead, she remained near the pens with her brother for 10 days before making any independent movements. She had traveled to the area around Little Creek By mid-June 1994 where she remained until February 1995. Her casualness around people and dwellings generated several complaints about her presence, and she was captured and removed from the study on 10 February 1995.
T48
T48, a 3 year-old, wild-caught male, was released 12 August 1994. He left the release pen and moved west to the Suwannee river and then south along the river. he then traveled east along I-10 to the vicinity of Macclenny, Florida, and then north along Trail Ridge to the southern end of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. He crossed the Refuge in August 1994 in a northwesterly direction, stopping just south of Waycross, Georgia. He remained in the vicinity of Waycross, where he included the Waycross State Forest within his home range, until March 1995. T48 made an excursion along the nearby Satilla River for 15 February to 3 March 1995 before returning to his home range for a few days. He left this area for good and traveled to western Georgia between 9 March and 23 April 1995. He traveled along the Chattahoochee River and many of it tributaries between Lumpkin and Blakely, Georgia. He was captured and removed 28 June 1995 when the study ended.