7-Day-Old Panther Kitten Rescued by Florida Wildlife Officials

The panther is now getting 24-hour care at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo

A one-pound Florida panther kitten was rescued by wildlife officials at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge in Immokalee, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Thursday.

The kitten was found unresponsive with a very low body temperature when he was only 7 days old, officials said.

Biologists took the kitten to the Animal Specialty Hospital of Florida, where the animal received life-saving procedures.

The panther is now getting 24-hour care at Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa.

“Our goal is always return to the wild whenever possible, but because this kitten was so young at the time of rescue, he will not learn survival skills from his mother and therefore cannot be released into the wild,” the FWC said in a Facebook post.

Once the kitten is old enough, he will be put on display at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.

Contact Us