Female panthers moving north of the river on their own is a big step toward this goal.” Originally Published: November 16, 2016 at 6:41 p.m.

No one knows for sure, but traces of a female Florida panther have been found north of the Caloosahatchee River for the first time since 1973, the same year the Endangered Species Act was approved.

There is an estimated 100 to 160 adult and subadult panthers remaining in south Florida. The female panther, along with her brother, was rescued in September of 2011 after their mother was found dead.

Panthers once roamed much of the state but by 1990 had dwindled to just 46, suffering from years of inbreeding. To revive the population, biologists released nine female Texas cougars, a close cousin.

Those petite paw prints, found Nov. 3, "are definitively female," Onorato said. Panthers once ranged across the Southeast, but a combination of hunting and loss of habitat nearly wiped them out.

Two panther kittens were found dead in Florida after a suspected vehicle strike, officials said. Their deaths mean at least ...

Two female Florida panther kittens were killed by a vehicle collision in Collier County. Fewer than 250 Florida panthers ...

The panther in question lives in Florida, and her species is endangered. Just 100 to 200 of the animals inhabit a southwestern patch of the state, and the future of their kind depends on roaming ...

No one knows for sure, but traces of a female Florida panther have been found north of the Caloosahatchee River for the first time since 1973, the same year the Endangered Species Act was approved.