One of Florida’s rarely seen panthers is killed in most unusual way, state says
One of Florida’s endangered panthers was discovered dead on Feb. 1 after a freight train ran it over in a highly unusual incident, state wildlife officials say.
The 2.5-year-old male panther was walking a railroad trestle over Fisheating Creek in Glades County when it was apparently caught off guard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports.
A witness on the train saw the panther take off running and the train attempted to slow down, but it was too late, according the FWC Division of Habitat and Species Conservation.
The panther could have jumped into the creek below, but chose not to for some reason, officials said.
It’s only the second time a train has been documented as the cause of death for a Florida panther, which can run up to 35 mph.
It’s believed no more than 230 adult panthers remain in Florida, and the most common cause of death is vehicle collision, data shows.
The species is listed as endangered “and it is illegal to harm or harass them in any way,” FWC says.
Five have been killed so far this year in Florida, including one known to be 10 years old, records show.
There were 13 documented panther deaths in 2023 and 27 in 2022.
Florida hosts the only panther population east of the Mississippi, the state reports. “The core population” is south of Lake Okeechobee, which borders eastern Glades County.
Males weigh up to 160 pounds and can reach “7.2 feet from nose to tip of the tail,” FWC reports.
Florida’s panthers are “considered a conservation success story after declining to approximately 30 cats by the early 1980s,” the FWC says. “Florida panthers remain resilient in the face of adversity.”
Reports of injured or dead panthers can be made through the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
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