Floridians Spot a Panther on Their Porch

Last month, some Fort Myers, Florida residents looked outside only to see a panther sitting on their porch!

Weather.com reports:

"When it's a warm, sunny day in Florida, in the shade of the front porch is a prime place to be; it appears one Florida panther would agree. Earlier in March, the panther was spotted resting on the porch of a home in Fort Myers.
"'It stayed for about 20 minutes and laid down for a bit,' Phil Hendra, who took snapped the photo of the big cat, told the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research institute. 'It looked at us inside the window then slowly walked away and we have not seen it since.'
"Hendra was at his father's house in Lee County at the time. In their 25-plus years of living there, Hendra said his parents had never seen a panther this close. "They may have seen a younger panther about two years ago, but nothing compares to this once-in-a-lifetime experience,' he said.
"According to Fox 13, the photo of the panther went viral and about a week and a half later, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) contacted Hendra to get more information about the sighting.
"The Florida panther is an endangered species. FWC asks that all Florida residents and visitors who see panthers report the sightings via their online tool.
"'Counting panthers is difficult because they are solitary, elusive and wide-ranging animals rarely abserved in the wild," FWC writes on their website. 'Reporting your observation can help FWC biologists address panther conservation needs by identifying areas used by large cats.'"

Phil Hendra's photo of the panther on the porch
(Weather.com)

A panther on the porch - kinda cool, yet kinda scary, too!


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