Photographer Was ‘Shaking From Excitement’ After Spotting 5 Elusive Florida Panthers in a Day
Ezra Van had been tracking wild Florida panthers, the official state animal, for years without luck.
“I poured over Fish and Wildlife research maps and reports, talked to rangers, locals, law enforcement who worked night shifts, set up alerts for panther sightings, and put 38,000 miles on my truck,” he wrote in a personal account that was shared with The Epoch Times.
Van saw a lot of other amazing wildlife, but no panthers. He was in the Everglades’ Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve Park on Jan. 13 when that changed, after he chose a parking spot a few miles along the main road based on his knowledge of footprints, trail intersections, and water levels.
‘Once In A Lifetime Event’: South Florida Man Spots 5 Elusive Florida Panthers In Single Day, 4 At The Same Time
CBS Miami 3/15/2021 Syndicated Local – CBS Miami
MIAMI (CBSMiami) Have you ever seen a Florida panther? The answer is probably ‘no’ for most of us because the official state animal of Florida is elusive, shy, and endangered. But one Florida man, who was definitely in the right place at the right time, spotted five of them in a single day and four of them were at the same time!
Ezra Van is a photographer and videographer who lives in Miami Beach.
Van says he has been tracking Florida Panthers in the wild for a few years and up until January 13, he had never seen any.
photo credit: Ezra Van
A Florida man was out for a walk and captured photos of not one, but FIVE Florida panthers in one morning. This is absolutely incredible! Ezra Van is a nature enthusiast and photographer. Van says he has been tracking Florida Panthers in the wild for a few years and up until January 13, he had never seen any.
But that fateful day in mid-January at the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve Park in the Big Cypress section of the Everglades, he spotted one and then it only got better from there.
The FWC states there are only about 120-230 adult Florida panthers left in the wild, making them one of the rarest and endangered mammals in the world. Even at their best estimates, 230 panthers are not a sustainable population size. The Florida panther is currently listed as endangered and is protected under the Endangered Species Act.
A Florida man, who was definitely in the right place at the right time, spots five elusive Florida Panthers in the wild on the same day, four of them at the same time.
Man spots 5 elusive Florida panthers in single day abc17news.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from abc17news.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.