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Athena’s Story:

One Kitten’s Journey,

One Species’ Future

by Tim L. Tetzlaff,
Director of Conservation,
Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens
few days before writing this, I helped
carry a Florida panther into the
A Glass Animal Hospital, one of many
that have arrived with little notice over the
years. Panther response is rarely scheduled.
Back in June 2017, we had a meeting
with filmmaker Chris Morgan about creating
a panther documentary with Big Cypress
National Preserve. Tammy Whittington, the
park’s superintendent at the time, arrived with a kitten in her arms.
While she bottle-fed the tiny cat, Chris discussed filming logistics. That
kitten was Athena—the panther you see in our garden today. She was
one of the lucky ones. The panther I carried in this week drew his final
breath on SR 70.
Road collisions remain the leading human cause of panther deaths.
A few months ago, a female panther was found near Copeland. The
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission team identified
her as K408 from a microchip Big Cypress biologists had placed in
2014. Her story had been unknown for the last eleven years until it
ended on August 29, but the number seemed familiar to me. She was And it worked. Today, more than 200 panthers roam Florida, raising the
one of Athena’s older sisters. generations of spotted, blue-eyed kittens we almost lost forever, including
We can all help to give panthers a better chance on our roads Athena. Her great grandmother was one of those eight.
by committing to drive the posted speeds in wildlife crossing zones. Collectively, Floridians saved our panthers from extinction.
Driving 45mph instead of 60 mph in a 3-mile-long nighttime crossing Now it’s our time to act individually one safe drive at a time.
only adds one minute to your drive, but it can give you critical reaction
time. This kitten’s mother didn’t have that extra moment and was hit on See that award winning 8 minute film at www.thefloridapanther.org.
US 41. She left behind three kittens, but only this one survived. You can
join fellow Floridians in taking the pledge at panthercrossing.org and Did You Know?
pick up your Panther Crossing decal at the zoo. Florida panthers are the same species of cat known by other names like
It's a personal commitment to match Florida’s larger efforts puma, mountain lion, and cougar. In 1995, the cats in Florida and Texas
that prevented the local extinction of Florida’s state animal. Florida were categorized as different subspecies, as different as a tiger in India is to
Department of Transportation has invested in dozens of wildlife one in Malaysia. Mixing subspecies was controversial but was necessary to
underpasses to allow safe passage for panthers and other animals, as well prevent all out extinction. Modern genetics rendered this question moot.
as the safety of drivers. Back in the early 1990s, only about two dozen In recent years, the IUCN Cat Specialist Group concluded that all North
Florida panthers remained with inbreeding defects. Scientists warned American pumas, including Florida’s, belong to one subspecies.
they could vanish within decades — potentially gone before Athena was
even born. So Florida launched genetic rescue, bringing eight female Contact me at tim@napleszoo.org
cats from Texas to Collier County in 1995. To learn more or support these efforts, visit NaplesZoo.org/conserve

Together, we can create a brighter, more resilient future for people and wildlife.
Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit entrusted with educating families and caring for rare species in a century old historic garden. Since 2014, Naples
Zoo has invested over $3.5 million saving plants and animals in the wild and fully funds the annual salary of 27 field staff in 7 countries including three wildlife veterinarians.
To learn more about how you can invest in a better future for people and wildlife, email tim@napleszoo.org.
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