Catastrophe: Florida panther stricken with ataxia, staggering and falling. Cause?

UPDATE: 10-4-21 – It looks like this is an epidemic of feline leukomyelopathy (FLM) which also affects bobcats (but see end of article for another suggestion). They think it might be a neurotoxin or a virus. They are working on it. It it is very serious and it may severely impact the Florida panther population. It is affecting many cubs.

If they can’t walk, they can’t run. If they can’t run they can’t hunt. If they can’t hunt they can’t eat and that means they die…

The endangered Florida panther is staggering around its ever-diminishing habitat in Florida, USA showing us that it is suffering from ataxia – a lack of coordination due to neurological issues. This is catastrophic news in terms of wildlife conservation in the US. They are investigating but it looks dire. It looks awful. This could spell extinction for the Florida panther as there are only about 100 in existence. They get in the way of business. Business wants them out of the way.

Years ago I wrote about a possible conspiracy to eradicate the Florida panther.

It is utterly tragic to see this fabulously athletic wild cat species wobbling around the place. Horrible.

What could have caused it? Poison possibly. Poison from some commercial enterprise which has dumped toxins into water courses? Deliberate poisoning perhaps? For example, the rodenticide, bromethalin, acts on the central nervous system causing ataxia in cats.

Bobcats are also affected we are told. That indicates an environmental problem as opposed to an inherited genetic defect. The Florida panther is inbred because it lives in isolation, cut off from all other mountain lions in North and South America.

Update:

There have been reports and studies that suggest mountain lions (also known as cougars or pumas) have been infected with Rubivirus strelense (RusV). The virus was detected in mountain lions during a study (see citation below) that aimed to investigate viral infections in wildlife, specifically in the United States. This disease causes mountain lions to stagger. They suffer from ataxia and an apparent paralysis of the hind legs. The virus inhabits the spinal cord and brain. A mountain lion in Colorado contracted the disease and is the subject of a study. The disease can affect domestic cats too. It is said that the virus lasts for a set period of time but of course a mountain lion needs to hunt all the time and therefore is likely to starve before or if they recover.

In 2021, researchers discovered RusV in several mountain lions in California, making it one of the first instances where this virus was identified in North American wildlife. The study indicated that the virus could be more widespread among wild mammals than previously thought. However, the exact impact of RusV on mountain lions or other infected wildlife is not yet fully understood. There haven’t been clear indications that it causes significant illness or mortality in these animals, but more research is needed to determine its effects.

These findings underscore the importance of monitoring wildlife for emerging viruses, as they can sometimes cross over to other species, including humans. The discovery of RusV in mountain lions is part of ongoing research efforts to understand the ecology of emerging viruses and their potential risks to animal and human health.

Citation: