And as development encroaches on their habitat, we have many more sightings in Lee and Collier counties. Someone caught a mom and two cubs on their swamp cam in 2019. In march 2025 one was struck by a car here in Lee county. 1.5 yr old female, at the age when mom turns them loose to establish their own territory. be careful driving back roads at night, we have panthers and gators using the highways. I’m been waiting to run across a gator at night in the road to see if my tesla has a gator symbol on the driving display.
Those aren't original Florida panthers - they're much larger Texas cats brought here by sentimentalist assholes and out of state Ivy League leftists to enrich enviro NGOs and grab land rights. Worse boondoggle than the wolf "reintroductions" out west.
They're encroaching on our habitat - not the other way around - and should be exterminated if we're serious about our natural fauna.