A Community Watch driver came to the aid of a resident who spotted a Florida Panther while on an early morning walk in The Villages.
Community Watch Patrol Driver Debbie Ogle was making the rounds shortly before 6 a.m. Monday when the resident reported that the graceful cat crossed St. Charles Place a mere four feet in front of him.
Ogle was coming the other way and was able to position her vehicle between the panther and the resident. Ogle then lit up the utility lights on her patrol vehicle. The panther stopped right where it was at on the golf course and stared back at the light source, according to a report from the District Office.
A call to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed that although very rare, Florida Panthers will show up in this area from time to time. There are no documented attacks on humans by Florida Panthers.
Adult Florida Panthers are a uniform tawny brown in color, 5 to 7 feet in length and can weigh between 60 to 160 pounds. A panther’s tail is as long as the body unlike a bobcat whose tail is only about one-third the body length. Bobcats are much smaller in size than panthers.
Florida Panthers are solitary in nature, except for females with kittens, and they do not form pair bonds with mates. They tend to be most active between dusk and dawn.
The Florida Panther is protected as an endangered species by the Federal Endangered Species Act and as a federally-designated Endangered species.
Sightings of bobcats and coyotes are much more common in The Villages because of its large tracts of undeveloped, wooded areas. They usually prey on rats, birds and squirrels.