The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reached out to ZooTampa last year.
They had an injured young panther named Loper in need of surgery. The animal had been hit by a car in Fort Myers and fractured its radius and ulna. The fractures were repaired using orthopedic plates.
Loper’s healing was slowed down by a limp, which required another surgery to fix.
Over the course of the last year, he received three different procedures.
According to ZooTampa veterinary doctor Meredith Persky, most panthers do not survive these accidents.
“…There are believed to be fewer than 200 Florida panthers,” Persky said. “Part of that is that their habitats are being fragmented through roadways, through development and construction.”
Vehicle crashes are the number one mortality cause for panthers. In 2024, almost 30 panthers died due to vehicle collisions. The highest death toll since 2016.
ZooTampa aimed for recovery “without habituation.” The end goal was to return Loper to his natural habitat.
Cameras and sedatives were used to monitor his recovery and reduce human interaction through the around-the-clock care.
“As a Panther, he would need to be able to defend his territory and to catch prey and, kind of resume normal Panther duties,” Persky said. “But because of his age and because of the time he spent in human care, there was concern that he was becoming more accustomed to being around humans. So, the decision was made that he was a non-releasable candidate.”
Loper will remain at ZooTampa for the coming years.