Florida Panthers In Valrico? Wildlife Officials Say It's Possible

VALRICO, FL – The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have called off the search for an elusive Florida panther spotted by a resident near Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club this morning.

A search on foot as well as an aerial search failed to locate a panther that a Buckhorn Ridge resident reported seeing prowling near 1901 Cimmaron Run Drive Monday, Feb. 26 at about 8:21 a.m.

Wildlife officials believe the resident may have confused the Florida panther with another animal or the panther found its way back to a protected conservation area.

Although sightings are rare, Florida panthers aren’t unheard of in the conservation areas along the Alafia River in east Hillsborough County.

There have been several sightings over the years by Bloomingdale East and River Crossing residents hiking in the conservation area between their neighborhoods and the Alafia River that has been preserved by the county.

However, the last time an east Hillsborough County resident provided documentation of a Florida panther in the area was a photograph taken Dec. 13, 2014. Another east Hillsborough resident took a night photo of a Florida panther on June 28, 2014.

Most recently, a Florida panther was photographed on Dec. 22, 2017, in Polk County near Lakeland.

The tawny-colored big cats are 6 to 7 feet long. The females weight between 70 and 100 pounds and the males 100 to 160 pounds.

They are listed as an endangered species and the FWC isn’t sure how many wild panthers there are in Florida since they tend to be solitary and are rarely seen in the wild. The FWC estimates there could be as few as 120 wild adult panthers and as many as 230 in Florida.

In the hopes of getting a more accurate count, the FWC asks any resident who spots a panther to provide details on the FWC’s Florida panther sightings web page.

The FWC, however, will only add the sighting to its registry if the animal is photographed or FWC officers find tracks.

“People taking pictures of panthers and submitting them to our web page helps us to better understand panther range,” said Kipp Frohlich, deputy director of the FWC’s Division of Habitat and Species Conservation. “These sightings also help us with our efforts to better manage human-panther interactions through landowner assistance, outreach and education.”

FWC biologists have been optimistic about the number of reports on the Florida panther sightings web page over the last 5 1/2 years. Since the project began, the FWC has received more than 3,700 reports, of which biologists were able to verify nearly 400 based on photos of the animal or footprints.

“We are pleased that so many people are taking the time to share their panther sightings with us. These citizen scientists are providing more ‘eyes in the woods,’ thereby helping the FWC monitor the whereabouts of Florida’s state animal,” said Darrell Land, FWC panther team leader.

Land said most of the reports came from southwest Florida, where the only known breeding population of Florida panthers exists.

“For many years, the Caloosahatchee River (in southwest Florida ) has appeared to be a major obstacle to northward movement of female panthers,” he said.

But last year the FWC verified the presence of at least two panther kittens north of the Caloosahatchee River. These kittens are presumed to be the offspring of the first wild female panther documented north of the river since 1973, Land said.

Though it's highly unusual, Florida panthers have been known to roam as far north as Georgia. There have been several documented sightings in the Tampa Bay area in recent years and biologists are eager to obtain photographic proof that panthers may be roaming the Alafia River Wildlife Corridor.

Through its Environmental Acquisitions and Land Protection Program, Hillsborough County has preserved 4,070 acres of wildlife habitat along the Alafia River from the Polk County line to Tampa Bay.

Land said, all too often in recent years the sighting are of Florida panthers that have been struck by cars and trucks trying to ross Florida’s highways.

Already in 2018, nine Florida panthers have been killed by cars, all in Collier and Hendry counties.

In 2017, 30 Florida panthers perished on Florida roads including a 3-year-old male panther that was struck and killed on Interstate 4 in Polk County.

Images provided by the FWC

A daytime photo shows a Florida panther spotted in Polk County in December.

A resident took a night photo of a Florida panther in east Hillsborough County on June 28, 2014.