This is Athena, a panther kitten left behind by its mother in Big Cypress National Preserve in the summer of 2017. She is now an adult panther and can be seen at the Florida panther exhibit at Naples Zoo. Athena’s story began in June 2017 when a litter of four kittens was first monitored by National Park Service biologists in Big Cypress National Preserve. Biologists later discovered the mother panther had moved three of the kittens, but had left Athena at the original den site when she was just a few weeks old. Following an unfruitful attempt to reunite Athena with her family, the decision was made to remove her from the wild. I'm not a big fan of zoos but, in some cases such as this, they saved Athena and provide us with an opportunity to see a Florida Panther up close which is extremely unlikely to happen in natural surroundings. The only ones I see are from a distance which is really where you want it rather than up close and personal.

I've seen Florida panthers in the wild but at too great a distance to get a decent photograph with the equipment I have. They're easily identified from quite a distance which is the way I prefer to see them in their territory.