Cameras capture Florida panthers mating

Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute have captured what they believe to be the first images of Florida panthers mating. A remote camera at the Babcock Ranch Preserve in Charlotte county captured the exchange. The images were taken Aug. 24 and posted to Facebook on Dec. 21.

“Breeding success north of the Caloosahatchee River is critical to the long-term viability of the Florida panther population,” the institute wrote, “so we are hopeful that this mating event resulted in a litter of kittens that would have been born around Nov 22nd.  If so, they would be expected to emerge from the den in January 2022.”

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