Seeing 25 domestic animals or pets attacked by a panther or mountain lion in one year, in one single county, would seem to be some sort of record. But that’s actually not even close for Collier County, Florida.
Last year that number was nearly double, at 47, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officials. And that’s what life is like in this relatively rural part of Florida, which includes the southwest tip of the panhandle that abates truly wild country including Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park. In addition, 20 miles east of Naples is the 26,400-acre Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. There’s a whole lot of uninhabited country, especially for the eastern seaboard.
The woman in the news clip, above, had her pony attacked and killed, several goats were killed late this summer as well as a house cat, the killing of which was caught on video, below. Residents are used to this kind of thing. Apparently, Collier County has also seen one of the worst non-native snake explosions in the country, with wildlife officials also fighting off a nasty Burmese Python infestation. In April, wildlife officers tracked a 115-pound female to a den surrounded by eight large males. Yikes!
