JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Residents in the Riverpoint neighborhood in Jacksonville claim to have seen a panther in their backyard.
One neighbor reported it to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission but did have any pictures. Anna Witten and her husband love the outdoors and they are very familiar with wildlife.
On Wednesday, around 8 a.m. Witten believes she saw a Panther.
“I was letting my dogs out back to go to the restroom like we do every day and my male dog charged at the fence. He wasn’t barking but I can tell he was looking at something," said Witten.
That’s when she noticed a big cat near their pond about 20 yards from their back deck.
Witten says the big cat was tan with a long dark tail and double the size of her cocker spaniel.
“We’ve seen wildlife back there before. we got a trail camera set up. we’ve seen coyotes, bobcats and deer. But this cat was definitely not like any other like we’ve seen on pictures," said Witten.
Another resident in the area says he’s spotted a panther before as well. He posted a picture on the nextdoor app.
The FWC says there have been nine panther reports in Duval County since May of 2020 but none have been verified.
“Certainly, we do have panthers here in Florida obviously. while it would be rare to have a Florida panther in the Jacksonville area, we have had them confirmed up in Georgia so it would not be impossible to have them in the area," said Carli Segelson, spokesperson for FWC.
Segelson says panthers can travel far and wide in their territory and like any wild animal Segelson says there’s a way to reduce conflict with animals. It starts with your yard.
“If you have a lot of garbage or food or anything that may attract smaller animals you might also be attracting larger animals like panthers or coyotes," said Segelson.
Segelson also mentioned if you know there’s a wild animal nearby that could be a concern. Be sure to keep a close eye on your pet and don’t leave them unattended.