They should string this troglodyte up.

Following is a news release from the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division.

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TROUP COUNTY PANTHER WAS A FLORIDA PANTHER
Wildlife CSI:  High-Tech Genetic Testing Used to Determine Cat’s
Parentage

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (August 5, 2009) - Genetic testing by the National
Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, has indicated that
the panther shot by a hunter in Troup County last year came from the
resident southern Florida panther population.

On Sunday, November 16, 2008, a sportsman observed a mature panther or
cougar while he was hunting deer in the woods of Troup County.  The
hunter observed the cat from his stand and shot it, according to the
Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR).   The hunter who shot
the panther reported the incident to the Department of Natural Resources
and has not been charged in the case.

The animal was taken to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease
Study in Athens, Georgia, for examination.  A necropsy revealed the
animal to be in excellent nutritional condition.  No evidence of
microchips or other common identification methods were found on the
animal.

Because Florida panthers had not been documented in Georgia in years,
it was initially thought that this animal might have escaped or have
been intentionally released from captivity.  With the genetic
confirmation that the animal is a Florida panther, it is possible that
this animal traveled from south Florida to Georgia.

“We have had evidence (road kill) of Florida panthers as far north as
the Florida panhandle,” said Tim Breault, Director of Division of
Habitat and Species Conservation, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission. “Young males, in an attempt to develop their own
territory, will often wander far from their home range.  We think this
may have been the case in this situation.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Office of Law Enforcement is
investigating this incident since the Florida panther is a federally
protected endangered species.

“Finding a Florida panther that far from southwest Florida is out of
the ordinary, but male panthers, particularly younger ones, can travel
great distances,” said Paul Souza, Field Supervisor of the South
Florida Ecological Services Office.  “While it’s unusual for
panthers to be seen that far north, it is not impossible for a young
male to travel so far.”

The Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) is the last subspecies of
Puma (also known as mountain lion, cougar, puma, or catamount) still
surviving in the eastern United States. Historically occurring
throughout the southeastern United States, the estimated 100 to 120
panthers are found in south Florida, in less than five percent of their
historic range.

For more information on the Florida panther, visit:
http://www.fws.gov/verobeach/

###
Tom R. MacKenzie
Media Relations Specialist and Native American Liaison
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Southeast Region
1875 Century Blvd Ste 410
Atlanta, GA 30345-3319
404-679-7291  Fax:404-679-7286  Cell: 678-296-6400
http://www.fws.gov/southeast
tom_mackenzie@fws.gov