The stories of their demise are greatly exaggerated. Like the Mountain Lion in the American West, they have found cities to be great hunting grounds. Dumpsters, rats, feral cats, dumps, and shoreline fishing holes are great places to find easy food. If they duplicate their western counterparts abilities, they will experience a boom in population. Currently hunting cats generally have a 75 sq mile territory, they hunt familiar trails and leave tree scratches that mark their domain.
As most of y'all know I've been in the hospital for 3 weeks, out a week then right back in through E.R. as the medicine was having zero effect and they ramped it up to the other extreme... I've been in the twilight zone. Anyway, having become fast friends with my nurses, hospital doctors and staff, home healthcare, PT, OT etc... one of them bounded into my room last week to tell me she saw a full grown panther cross Bay Meadows Road at Pottsburg Creek.
You might recall Ennis and MJ promoting a 'Florida Trail Branch' from the Julington Peninsular north to the area of US-1/I-95 south where Julington Creek rises in a swamp that drains southward. The same swamp drains northward forming the headwaters of Pottsburg Creek too, so any big cat, bear, etc. has pretty good cover from St. Johns County all the way to Arlington. In the 80's I was with Florida Wildlife on the Julington Peninsular and we found huge cat foot prints, and dozens of tiny ones... since they all looked about 30 minutes old, we quickly retreated to the boats. If you like next to this ancient forest be aware that the Panther/Cougar are known to move into vacant sheds, shacks, boats, autos, etc.. Sounds to me like the 'family' is still in the area!
In my 10+ years of residing in Jacksonville, 2 have been spotted in and around my home.
The first one in 2004 was in my neighbors backyard rolling on his back in the grass. A flock of wild turkeys had taken up in the woods nearby and he had come over to feast. My neighbor called Duval County Animal Control and their response was "there are no panthers in Duval County". The panther showed up again the next morning, and he called again. Their response? "Take a cast of the footprints and bring it to us". Just before he hung up he notified them that it was their job, not his. When the turkeys were gone, so was the panther.
Then another one showed up in 2007 after I moved a mile north in an unfinished development. We noticed the duck population was going down suddenly and we found "feather balls" back by the woods. Then voila, at dusk, there he was coming out of the woods headed for the pond to find more ducks to feast on. Unfortunately a neighbors doberman spotted him and he made off back into the woods and we haven't seen him since.
I used to think, "oh, they are protected, we should call if we see one" but after the "they don't exist" comment from animal control. we just enjoy the sighting and move on. We see deer and bobcats all around the UNF campus. Once a year otters make their way up to our pond, eat fish for day and then disappear for another year. I remember when a wolf got hit on 295 a few years back. Animal control said "there are no wolves in NE Florida....some one must have brought him from the west" I just laughed. If you deny the animals exist, then there is nothing to worry about.
So if someone sees an actual panther in Duval County, believe it.
When I pull up the flood zone layer on the City GIS map the connection between the Julington and Pottsburg headwaters
is evident. I had no idea.
Go rebounding native species! Maybe a panther will jump somebody at SJTC.
I saw a bobcat during daylight hours years ago at UNF, and once spotted a deer swimming across the Intracoastal
south of where the J. Turner Butler bridge is now (prior to it's construction).
Get well, Ock.
Don't call animal control to report a panther. They are more for domestic animals. For wild animals specifically Florida Panthers call FWC. Note there is more to FWC than law enforcement. See below......
http://www.floridapanthernet.org/
http://www.myfwc.com/news/news-releases/2014/august/25/panther-bear-sightings/
Does anyone know what this animal is? Taken on the northside of Jax a few years ago. Wolf or coyote?
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Other/Misc2/i-S8wXzqz/0/L/DSC_0002-L.jpg)
Or dog? Could be a female dog that has just given birth to puppies.
Maybe, it just seemed very big.
Quote from: Dog Walker on March 20, 2015, 01:47:30 PM
Or dog? Could be a female dog that has just given birth to puppies.
Female german shepard mix. Even though it appears to not have a collar, this is not a wild dog.
This is probably someones dog from a nearby farm or rural home.
Quote from: spuwho on March 20, 2015, 03:01:02 PM
Female german shepard mix.
Judging by the ears, this would be my guess as well. To the OP, I'll pass the photo along to a friend of mine. She knows dogs a lot better than I do - ha! She operates a 25-acre farm west of here that nurtures injured and abused animals back to health. Most of her "clients" are dogs, and some of the sweetest souls you'll ever meet. She used to practice medicine, but after working with animals she says she'll never go back to humans!
Quote from: Lunican on March 20, 2015, 01:38:18 PM
Does anyone know what this animal is? Taken on the northside of Jax a few years ago. Wolf or coyote?
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Other/Misc2/i-S8wXzqz/0/L/DSC_0002-L.jpg)
It is called a DOG