Why is the panther endangered?
There are many reasons why the Florida panthers are endangered.
Florida panthers weren't always endangered. You can find
out what
happened in panther history.
Panthers have become endangered
because of the land being taken away for building houses.
This cuts off the different groups of panthers, so inbreeding
occurs,
which starts up
big problems like a faulty heart, a kink in the tail,
a cowlick in the back, and undescended testicles,
which means that the males can't breed.
Now I know that a kink in the tail, and a cowlick in the
back aren't
problems, but they're still genetic defects.
Another problem for the panthers is agression in the male
panthers.
They fight for territory and, almost always, a male dies.
Panthers have to cross major roads where the people are
driving
55 mph or more. When they jump in front of cars,
it always damages or kills the panther.
Have you heard about mercury in the water?
That also helps kill the panthers because mercury is a
poison
and if it's in the water, then it can poison the panthers.
Panthers can get diseases like their
"little cousins", the "kitty kats".
The diseases that panthers can get are HIV,
which is like AIDs for people, feline leukemia,
feline enteritis, and rabies.
Biologist Deb Jansen says "if the cats transfer a
disease
when they breed or if a hurricane happens,
it could destroy the cat population".
If a panther gets in a fight and has an open wound,
and the panther doesn't have a tracking collar 
so biologists can watch him,
then the wound could get infected and the panther could
die.
If there isn't enough food for the
panthers, they can die of starvation.
