LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — It’s uncommon to see a Florida Panther since they’re extraordinarily endangered. But we might be able to see extra of them quickly.
Sean Burlarley and his fiancé see all varieties of wildlife of their backyard off of State Road 82 in Lehigh Acres.
“We saw a bear probably about four or three months ago… like a 450-pound bear was in my backyard,” he mentioned.
But this Christmas Eve, a particular customer got here to their property… and it wasn’t Santa Claus.
“It was like that big at the highest point and then about that long,” he mentioned, motioning to how giant he remembers the panther. “They are slender, but they are muscular.”
He noticed it about 15 toes away.
“It did not run off,” he mentioned. “It’s just kind of step by step. And she would mess with it, like go meow meow, and it looked back.”
FGCU Biology Professor Billy Gunnels mentioned it’s nonetheless very uncommon to identify these panthers within the grass since they’re endangered, however their inhabitants is definitely rising.
“If you have a chance of seeing a panther in the wild, you should count yourself fortunate,” he mentioned.
Gunnels mentioned panther sightings are unlikely, particularly in Lehigh. From their analysis, that’s the northern fringe of their vary.
“With Lehigh, there might be good reliable food sources in terms of pigs and deer, armadillos and raccoons,” he mentioned.
During colder climate like these previous few days, he mentioned the panthers have a tendency to maneuver through the day when it’s the warmest.
This might clarify why the panther didn’t run away when Sean and his household noticed it.
“We might be seeing more of them because their numbers do seem to be improving,” Gunnels mentioned. “And in addition to improvement, they do seem to be moving further and further away from where we were seeing them in the 1990s.”
So preserve your eyes open for a panther, and if you happen to see one, name FWC to allow them to doc it.