Panther killer wanted by state, feds

Who would be bold enough to shoot a Florida panther at the edge of a national wildlife refuge that bears the animal's name?

Federal and state investigators want to know the same thing, and they, along with animal advocacy groups, are offering a $15,000 reward for anyone who can help identify the shooter — someone who may have also shot other panthers just north of the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge in Collier County.

The panther was killed in March, and the death was initially reported as a road kill. Biologists later confirmed the death was the result of a gunshot, not blunt trauma associated with vehicle collisions. The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal agency charged with enforcing the Endangered Species Act.

The big cat is the second panther that has been shot in this area of Collier County since October. The first, now named Uno, will live the rest of its life in captivity at Naples Zoo after someone shot it in the face with birdshot (blinding the cat) and then again in the rear.

"It was near where Uno was shot," said Nancy Payton, with the Florida Wildlife Federation's Naples office. "Then I thought 'is there a connection between those two incidents?' It makes me wonder if there are other panthers in that area also suffering similar fates."

Shooting or otherwise harming a panther is a violation of the Endangered Species Act. The state considers it a third-degree felony with a maximum of five years in jail and/or a $5,000 fine. The federal punishment is a maximum one year in jail with a $100,000 fine.

The panther population was believed to consist of a few dozen individuals in the 1980s and 1990s. The state introduced female Texas cougars in the late '90s as a way to increase the genetic variation of the Florida panther, which crossbred with cougars hundreds of years ago as their range was connected across the Southeastern United States.

Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the group makes donations to these types of cases to help protect endangered animals such as panthers, California condors and red wolves.

"All odds are against them, which make it difficult to understand why anyone would intentionally shoot a panther," Lopez said. "We're really hoping there is someone out there with information about who may have done this."

Five panthers have been killed by guns since 2008, according to FWC records. Three of those happened in Collier, the center of the panther's remaining range.

Both agencies encourage anyone with information to call FWC's 24-hour wildlife alert line at 888-404-3922. For those wishing to remain anonymous, email Tip@MyFWC.com or go online to MyFWC.com/WildlifeAlert.

"It might just be reflecting that person's animosity toward panthers," Payton said. "Maybe it was intentional to have him suffer. There is that mentality out there: 'Whack 'em, stack 'em and pack 'em.' "

Other recent shootings include:

• A 1.5-year-old kitten was killed in Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier in December 2013.

• A panther of undetermined age and sex was found shot in Seminole County in March 2011.

• A hunter killed a 3-year-old female in the Golden Gate Estates area of Collier in October 2009.

• A Georgia hunter killed a 3- to 4-year-old male that wandered into Troup County, Georgia, in November of 2008.

Connect with this reporter: ChadGillisNP on Twitter.

Florida panther

Puma concolor coryi

Appearance: Long, tan with whitish fur underneath. Females weigh 70 to 100 pounds, males 100 to 160 pounds.

Range: Once common across the Southeastern United States, found mostly in preserves and farmlands south of Lake Okeechobee

Diet: Strict carnivores, with 90 percent of diet coming from wild hogs, deer, raccoons and armadillos. Ambush predators that typically grab prey by the back of the neck. Can leap 15 feet.

Reproduction: Females reproduce every two years or so, although females that lose kittens will readily mate again that same year. Litters typically range from one to four kittens, which stay with their mother for 18 months or more before searching out their own territory.

Sources: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service