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VERIFY: Was a Florida Panther spotted in Nassau County?

A Nassau County man says he saw a Florida Panther crossing Old Nassauville Road.
Florida panther captured by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission in South Florida for a now discontinued captive breeding program. [WILL DICKEY/FLORIDA TIMES-UNION]

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Nassau County resident claims he saw a Florida Panther cross his path this week.

Michael McNeely told First Coast News on Wednesday that he spotted the big cat crossing Old Nassauville Road.

We reached out to Florida Fish and Wildlife (FWC) to see if they had any reports of Florida Panther sightings in the area. Public Information Officer Karen Parker replied in an email, saying "biologists checked reports from January 2018 to the present and there haven’t been any calls to FWC regarding panthers in Nassau County during that time."

She stated the farthest north a panther was confirmed in north Florida was near Palm Coast. 

"There haven’t been any confirmed reports of panthers in the 17 counties that I cover, including Nassau, Duval and Clay counties," Parker said. 

Credit: FWC
Florida Panther confirmed sightings.

Parker also said that if people do see a panther, call their Wildlife Alert number at 888-404-3922. You can also send your photos to the FWC website.

"Our biologists require photos/video of the cat or the cat’s prints (with something to tell the size) to verify the sighting," Parker said.

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