BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. (WSVN) – Residents of a Bonita Springs neighborhood had an unexpected visitor on Monday – a 61-pound Florida panther.
DJ and Angie Ohl discovered the rare feline in their driveway, leading to a quick response from local authorities and wildlife experts.
The Ohls, initially unaware of the panther’s presence, were alerted by neighbors and police, urging them to seek safety indoors.
“My wife actually, I think she opened the gate and did not know it was sitting right there,” said DJ Ohl. “She was probably dangerously close to it and didn’t even know it.”
A neighbor on a walk first spotted the panther and promptly called 911 and the Florida Wildlife Commission. Wildlife officials successfully tranquilized the panther, which was then safely transported to a nearby preserve.
Florida panthers, with fewer than 200 estimated to be alive today, are considered endangered. The FWC notes that the last confirmed sighting in Bonita Springs was in 2015.
“They’re around here, but you don’t expect them camping out your front door,” said Angie Ohl.
The healthy 61-pound panther was released into a 60,000-acre preserve.
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