Underweight Florida panther kitten rescued after mother stopped returning to den

A Florida panther kitten is recovering at Naples Zoo after wildlife biologists rescued it from a den when its mother stopped returning, and continued monitoring showed the kitten's health was deteriorating.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said staff were monitoring a female Florida panther that was radio-collared during the 2026 capture season, and GPS data showed that she was denning. Wildlife officials confirmed the den had a single kitten inside, and the mother panther regularly returned to the den and cared for the kitten.

However, biologists noticed the mother was no longer returning to the den over time, and after two weeks without her return, the kitten became noticeably underweight. According to FWC, the kitten weighed less than three pounds and had a high parasite load.

Officials determined that intervention was necessary, and in March, the female kitten was removed from the den at approximately 8 weeks old and taken to Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens for treatment.

The Naples Zoo said the kitten, also known as K528, is making a remarkable recovery after months of specialized care provided by the zoo and FWC. The zoo said the kitten weighs over 20 pounds now.

“K528 will unfortunately never gain the invaluable survival skills that kittens learn from mom over their first year, which is why we are grateful for the care provided by Naples Zoo that will set K528 up for success as an ambassador for panther conservation,” said Dr. Peter Sebastian, FWC Panther Team Veterinarian.

K528 is the sixth Florida panther that Naples Zoo has helped FWC with lifesaving medical care. The Naples Zoo said K528 will remain behind the scenes and not be visible to guests before she is transferred to another facility to serve as an ambassador for her species.

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FWC has a 24-hour Wildlife Alert Hotline you can call if you spot an injured, sick, or dead panther so panther biologists can respond. Call 888-404-FWCC(3922) to make a report.