Florida wildlife agency still trying to determine what hobbled panthers, bobcats

Researchers are still trying to determine what caused some Florida felines to walk with a staggered gait this summer.

Last month, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, or FWC, released information about Florida panthers and bobcats that were having difficulty controlling their rear legs. 

Now the agency is examining samples to test for toxins and other possible causes.

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At least one panther and one bobcat with strange behaviors showed signs of neurological damage. 

"(We're) testing for various potential toxins, including neurotoxic rodenticide (rat pesticide), as well as infectious diseases and nutritional deficiencies," said FWC spokeswoman Carli Segelson.

Rat poison has been a top suspect, but so has blue-green algae. 

Blue-green algae, also called cyanobacteria, can be toxic, especially to dogs and other animals. 

"Cyanobacteria is one of the things we are testing for," Segelson said. "However, we do not yet have the results." 

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Experts at the University of Miami have said the cats could have ingested the blue-green algae while coming into contact with the Caloosahatchee River, which experienced a major blue-green algae outbreak in 2018. 

Jaclyn Lopez with the Center for Biological Diversity in St. Petersburg said a toxic river could inhibit the expansion of the state animal. 

Getting females north of the Caloosahatchee River is one part of restoring the panther population and lowering it on the endangered and threatened species list. 

"It seems like the panther and the bobcat (must have crossed) the Caloosahatchee, and that isn’t a smoking gun," Lopez said. "(But) It’s trying to migrate north slowly on its own, and now we’re putting a potential obstacle in the form of cyanobacteria in the river."

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FWC says there are 120 to 230 panthers in Florida, most of which are living south of Lake Okeechobee in the historic Everglades. 

The panther population has increased over the past two decades, after a group of female Texas cougars was introduced into the population to restore genetic diversity in the panther.

Vehicle collisions are the No. 1 cause of recorded panther deaths, with 14 cats killed on roads so far this year. 

There must be three separate populations of 240 or more panthers in order to lower the panther's status from endangered to threatened, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service records. 

Meredith Budd with the Florida Wildlife Federation said she and her group are concerned about any potential neurological or poisoning issues with the big cats. 

Budd said the federation reviewed videos collected near the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed, or CREW, near the Lee-Collier border and at the Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest in Hendry County. 

'We did go through our cameras and our partners' cameras in the area to see if we noticed any odd behaviors and we did not see that," Budd said. "It is very concerning to us, granted there have not been additional sightings."

Connect with this reporter: @ChadGillisNP on Twitter.