A volunteer photographer in southwest Florida checked his trail camera and saw an endangered Florida panther walking with her two kittens, which is rare, according to The News Tribune. There are only around 200 adults left in the wild, and less than half of their kittens survive their first year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says.
The footage came from the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed, a 60,000-acre stretch of protected land in Lee and Collier counties. Tom Mortenson had been tracking the female panther, tagged as FP266, after she was collared in January 2024 by the FWC. He first spotted her alone in May 2024, with up-close footage, then with one kitten in June.
In July 2025, his camera finally caught her with both kittens in the same frame, albeit with footage that makes them harder to see, which The News Tribune’s article gained permission to share.
“Seeing those photos come into my iPhone was a very special delight,” Mortenson said in an email, quoted in The News Tribune.
This is a good example of why trail camera images are so useful; they give conservation teams time-stamped evidence of endangered species and their survival. The Natural Resources Conservation Service says panthers help keep prey populations in check, which supports balanced ecosystems like healthy wetlands. Wetlands filter drinking water and reduce flooding for nearby communities, so keeping panthers on the landscape helps to sustain the people who live around it.
“Florida panthers help balance our ecosystems. The health of this species helps ensure we have stable wildlife populations and functioning natural areas,” said senior conservation projects manager with The Nature Conservancy in Florida, Wendy Mathews.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported Florida panthers have grown from a low of about 10 animals in 1967 to more than 200 today. In the 1990s, wildlife managers brought in eight female Texas pumas to breed with the remaining panthers, which helped boost their numbers. Other experts warn that their population needs to reach about 240 to avoid extinction. Female panthers usually have one to three kittens once they’re old enough to breed.
The sighting is proof that trail cameras can pay off, as it isn’t common to get a Florida panther mother and her two kittens all together in one shot.
The RWC Research Facebook page reminds people to report sightings if they spot a panther in the wild, make sure to drive safely to avoid any accidents with the animals, and spread awareness to “educate others on the importance of preserving their habitats.”
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