"State wildlife officials are sharing video of disabled animals in an effort to identify the ailment and save the beloved, endangered cats."
"In southwest Florida, any sighting of the state’s iconic panther — on your porch, lounging in the backyard, advancing toward you on a trail — might go viral. But on Monday afternoon, the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission took to social media to crowdsource a different kind of video: panthers that seem to have trouble walking.
Trail cameras in three counties have identified eight endangered panthers and one bobcat with a hitch in their step, affected by a mysterious neurological disorder that seems to hit kittens hardest. State officials have also confirmed nerve damage firsthand in another panther and another bobcat.
In one video shared by the agency, a panther kitten stumbles several times as it follows its mother and another sibling, dragging its lower body as it struggles to rise."
Joshua Sokol reports for the New York Times August 23, 2019.
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