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Rehabilitated Florida panther released back into the wild after being hit by car
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) and Naples Zoo successfully released a critically endangered Florida panther back into the wild. (Credit: FWC)
NAPLES, Fla. - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) and Naples Zoo successfully released a critically endangered Florida panther back into the wild on Tuesday, December 22.
The panther, nicknamed Logan, was rescued by the FWC after it was hit by a vehicle in early December, the Naples Zoo said.
Logan was brought to Naples Zoo’s Glass Animal Hospital where he "recovered well," the zoo said.
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He was given a full health assessment and fitted with a radio collar before being released back into the wild at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, around 20 miles east of Naples.
The panther is the first wild Florida panther that has been treated in the Glass Animal Hospital at Naples Zoo since it opened in 2020.
The Florida panther is the most endangered cat in North America, with fewer than 230 adult cats thought to be living in the wild, according to the FWC.