Collier County Residents Asked To Look Out For Panther

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)  is asking locals in Collier County to be on the look out for a Florida panther.

The FWC will redeploy traps as it continues efforts to capture a panther that has been sighted sporadically in an area of Golden Gates Estates west of Collier Boulevard (CR 951) in Collier County.

The team has been monitoring the area since late November, as part of an ongoing effort to relocate this panther to a more suitable, less urban habitat.

Panther biologists have followed up on sighting reports by visiting the sites and deploying game cameras to identify the panther's travel routes.

"The FWC is assessing and acting on the best steps to protect the public, as well the best actions to ensure this panther can be safely relocated," said Kipp Frohlich, deputy director of the Division of Habitat and Species Conservation.

The group asks that if you do see a panther, remember to give the panther space and make sure it has a way to escape. Florida Panthers typically avoid confrontation.

People who have seen a panther, its tracks or other evidence of panther activity can call the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).