Rare Uncollared Florida Panther Caught On Hidden Camera

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Credit U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

MOVING DAY: A hidden camera caught this extremely rare view of a momma Florida panther moving kittens to a new location in Florida's Big Cypress Basin.

It's probably the first time you've seen a photo like this one. It’s an uncollared Florida panther -- one of fewer than 170 remaining on the planet -- carrying a kitten as she strolls by a hidden camera in the Big Cypress Basin.

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service published the photo Wednesday on its Facebook page.

But it’s been a terrible year during a terrible era for Florida panthers. Twenty-six died in 2012, most of them hit by cars and trucks. Development is encroaching ever further into panther habitat and wildlife experts say it will be come even more perilous for panthers if the state goes through with a plan to build an inland highway between Orlando and Immokalee.