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Wednesday, June 13, 2001

Volusia purrs over Florida panther sightings

By DINAH VOYLES PULVER | News-Journal Environment Writer

DAYTONA BEACH — A big cat that could be a Florida panther has been seen twice recently in Volusia County – once on the Pelican Bay Golf Course and once near Cassadaga – causing great excitement among those who've seen it.

Biologists can't say for sure if the cat was a panther, but they say observant Floridians may get to enjoy seeing panthers more often.

The state's estimated panther population has doubled in the last 20 years – it's now between 60 and 70 – and the cats are beginning to reappear in areas that were their traditional habitat before they were driven almost to extinction.

"It would not really surprise me to see them any place in Florida," said Chris Belden, a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in Gainesville.

Larry Summers and his pals were sure surprised when they drove up to the 18th green on the Pelican Bay South Golf Course in Daytona Beach about a week ago and saw a big cat sitting on its haunches less than 50 yards away.

"It was definitely a Florida panther," said Summers, a funeral director. "All four of us saw it," he said, referring to his golf partners: Bob Abraham, Rollie Schmidt and Dave Jaworski.

Several days later, Dr. Deborah Klaisle saw a big cat in the yard of her home near Cassadaga. "It was beautiful," said Klaisle. She said she and her family got a good, long look at the cat because her dogs forced the cat up a tree.

The most startling thing to Klaisle was one of the panther's most distinguishing features – its thick, long tail. Summers also noticed the cat's long tail.

Many of the cat sightings in the state are often considered to be bobcats, but the bobcat's tail is just that – bobbed. Even house cats and otters are sometimes mistaken for panthers, according to state officials. The state's Internet site advises people to look for the panther's uniform tawny color, long tail and large size to distinguish it from other animals.

Klaisle said the cat she saw was bigger than her German Shepherd.

It's possible the sightings were of a Florida panther, Belden said, but he wishes someone had taken a picture.

Several panther sightings were reported in the Port Orange area last year, but biologists were never able to confirm whether the cat was indeed a panther, either through plaster cats of the footprints or a photo.

State biologists have worked for more than 20 years to bring the panther back from the edge of extinction, even releasing female Texas cougars into the wilds of South Florida to reduce problems with inbreeding among the Florida cats. The cougars are the closest genetic subspecies to the Florida panther.

Today, the young male cats that are a cross between the Florida and Texas cats are moving into new territories in greater numbers, Belden said.

"They seem to be doing a lot better," he said this week. Biologists track the cats by radio signals from collars.

As the cats move north, they are naturally attracted to the wild areas along the St. Johns River. "The St. Johns marsh in general seems to be kind of a corridor for them," Belden said.

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