In some areas, it can be hard to imagine that there are actually wild and scary animals running around in places you’d never expect. Your back yard or porch, for example, are places where you’d never want or expect to find a wild or dangerous predator – but their encounters are sometimes inevitable.
Phil Hendra from Florida heard that his dogs were constantly barking on his porch. He was visiting his dad in Lee County when he came face to face with a Florida panther, an endangered cat species.
“It stayed for about 20 minutes and laid down for a bit,” Phil said in a Facebook post. “It looked at us inside the window then slowly walked away and we have not seen it since. My parents have lived here since 1988 and they may have seen a younger panther about two years ago, but nothing compares to this once in a lifetime experience.”
Phil thought that the loud traffic was the reason for his dogs barking so loudly, but he certainly didn’t expect to see a panther right on the porch. A native panther just stood there for a number of moments, which allowed Phil to take out his camera to snap a few great pictures of his unique encounter.
Panthers surely do have excellent hearing, as Phil was frightened when the animal heard the clicking noise of his camera. Even though the cat stared at him for a bit, it luckily didn’t act aggressively. Just as quick as the panther appeared on the porch, he disappeared once again to never be seen by Phil again.
Although these wild animals from Florida are called and referred to as panthers, the correct term is actually ‘cougar’. Interestingly, this specific species native to the Sunshine State is also the official state animal.
Panther or cougar, Phil got an amazing experience with wildlife that he will never forget.
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