濒临灭绝的佛罗里达豹挣扎着行走

濒临灭绝的佛罗里达豹挣扎着行走

Iconic Florida panthers have been captured on trail cameras with what appears to be a neurological disorder that keeps them from walking normally. Their back legs buckle and they seem to have difficulty coordinating them as they walk.

标志性的佛罗里达美洲豹被跟踪摄像机捕捉到，它们似乎患有神经系统疾病，无法正常行走。它们的后腿弯曲，走路时似乎很难协调。

The state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has confirmed neurological damage in one panther and one bobcat. In addition, trailcam footage has spotted eight panthers (mostly kittens) and an adult bobcat that are also showing some problems with walking. Videos of the cats were collected from Collier, Lee and Sarasota counties. Another panther photographed in Charlotte County could also have been affected.

该州的鱼类和野生动物保护委员会(FWC)已经证实了一只黑豹和一只山猫的神经损伤。此外，拖车摄像头拍摄到的画面显示，有八只黑豹(大部分是小猫)和一只成年山猫也出现了一些行走问题。这些猫的视频是从科利尔、李和萨拉索塔县收集的。在夏洛特县拍摄的另一只黑豹也可能受到影响。

The agency is testing for several toxins — including rat poison — as well as infectious diseases and nutritional deficiencies.

该机构正在测试几种毒素——包括鼠药——以及传染病和营养不良。

The group is also asking residents to share any personal videos that show the animals struggling to walk. Collecting more photos and videos will help researchers identify the condition.

该组织还要求居民分享任何有关这些动物行走困难的个人视频。收集更多的照片和视频将有助于研究人员识别这种情况。

There are only 120 to 230 Florida panthers left in the wild. They are found primarily in southwest Florida and are the larger of Florida's two native cat species: panthers and bobcats.

野生的佛罗里达豹只剩下120到230只。它们主要生活在佛罗里达州西南部，是佛罗里达州两种本土猫科动物中较大的一种:黑豹和山猫。

Looking for clues

寻找线索

There are only 120 to 130 Florida panthers left in the wild. (Photo: Tim Donovan/FWC [CC BY-ND 2.0]/Flickr)

Several contacted their veterinarians or the media because their pets also were unable to use their back legs normally. In at least one case, a vet thought a dog had canine degenerative myelopathy, a spinal cord disorder that is characterized early on by wobbling in a dog's hind legs.

一些人联系了他们的兽医或媒体，因为他们的宠物也不能正常使用后腿。至少在一个病例中，兽医认为一只狗患有犬类退化性脊髓病，这是一种脊髓疾病，其早期特征是后腿摇晃。

Fort Meyers news station WINK received several videos of dogs from viewers who thought their pets looked like the struggling panthers. They reached out to the FWC, which said it would look to see if there was a connection.

福特迈耶斯新闻站WINK收到了几段狗狗的视频，观众认为他们的宠物看起来像挣扎中的黑豹。他们联系了FWC, FWC说他们会调查是否有关联。

The FWC is exploring all options, hoping to solve the mystery of what is harming the state's beloved feline. The group reached out on social media, asking the public to not only share footage of panthers, but purchase the "Protect a panther" license plate or donate to the agency.

FWC正在探索所有的选择，希望能解开到底是什么伤害了该州这只可爱的猫。该组织在社交媒体上发出呼吁，要求公众不仅分享黑豹的视频，还要购买“保护黑豹”牌照，或者捐赠给该机构。

"Help panthers and bobcats," the group posted. "A disorder has been seen in some Florida panthers and bobcats and we are taking this seriously."

“帮助黑豹和山猫。”“佛罗里达豹队和山猫队出现了一些混乱，我们正在认真对待这件事。”