The number of endangered leopards slaughtered in Florida this year has more than doubled, shaping up to be the bloodiest year for the big cats in a decade.
By 2024, at least 30 leopards will have been killed, almost all at the hands of drivers.
The most recent victim was found dead Friday on the side of a road near Naples in rural Collier County. Police say the 3 1/2-year-old male suffered injuries from the vehicle collision. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
This tragic death came just five days after a female leopard was killed by a car in Lee County.
Vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death for panthers in Florida, and have been for many years, research shows.
Trains and other predators have also contributed to leopard deaths, with at least four classified as “unknown.”
This shocking death toll is more than double the 13 leopard deaths reported in 2023.
The last time Florida reached such high death tolls was in 2018 and 2017, with 30 deaths both years.
If the death toll exceeds 30, 2024 would be the bloodiest year for panthers since 2014, when at least 42 carcasses of the endangered species were discovered.
The increase in deaths would be debilitating for the species, which is listed as endangered in the state. There are only about 200 Florida panthers, a subspecies of mountain lion, left in the wild.
“This subspecies is highly endangered and therefore vulnerable to nearly all major threats,” the report states. National Wildlife Federation.
Habitat loss, vehicle collisions, and environmental pollution are the main causes of the animal's population plight.
