Tampa, Fla. (970 WFLA)-With cooler temperatures throughout the Sunshine State, more people are likely to head to the woods to enjoy hiking, wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is asking the public to assist with Florida panther research and management by reporting sightings of the large feline to the agency’s panther sightings webpage. The FWC is interested in photos of panthers or their tracks.
Biologists have been pleased with the number of reports received through the panther sightings webpage over the last 4.5 years.
Since the project began, the FWC has received more than 3,700 reports, of which biologists were able to verify 922 based on photos of the animal or its footprints.
Most of the reports came from southwest Florida, however, there were some panthers documented on the east coast near Vero Beach and in central Florida near Orlando. Biologists are especially interested in pictures of panthers north of the Caloosahatchee River, which runs from Lake Okeechobee to Ft. Myers.
There are few sightings or photos of panthers in this part of the state. Currently, the only known breeding population of Florida panthers is south of the river in southwest Florida.