For years there have been stories of Black Florida Panthers prowling in our wilderness, but there's never been any official record they exist.
Now that mystery may be over.
A cat has been captured and researchers at the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary say they now know what people were referring to when they said they saw the panther.
We're all familiar with the Florida Panther, golden in color and about 130 pounds.
You may have also heard of a "Black Panther," which has been like our local Loch Ness Monster; people have said they've seen it, but it's never been caught.
One woman recently called the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary because she said she had one right in her back yard.
"She said she had this gigantic Black Panther in her back yard and that it had killed a pet turkey that she'd had. She was hysterical," says David Hitzig with the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary.
"She describes to me this big black cat the size of a Labrador dog," says Deron Hartman, also with the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary.
Hartman responded to the woman's call for help and the turkey snatcher turned out to be no Black Panther instead, a Black Bobcat.
"It's a very unique animal. It's very rare. It's definitely the highlight of my trapping," says Hartman.
It weighs only about 20 pounds and it's color is black from head to tail with one white spot on the belly.
Hartman says less than a dozen have been recorded. Most of them in South Florida near the Loxahatchee River and St. Lucie Canal. The first was discovered about 70 years ago.
But it's more than just a rare find, it can also help bring answers to an old Florida tale.
"For years, people here in Florida have talked about Black Florida Panthers. First of all, Florida Panthers are basically a Cougar. There has never ever been a Black Cougar or a Florida Panther ever found. No record of them, no pictures, no hides, no skins, nothing. but still we hear these stories of black cats that lurk in the wilds of Florida," says Hitzig. "Maybe we have kind of found that missing piece of the puzzle and we now know what everybody's been talking about when they say, 'I saw a Black Panther in the wild.' But really they saw a Black Bobcat."
The sanctuary says they'll be working with the state to run DNA and blood tests. They want to make sure there's official documentation that the Black Bobcat exists... even if the Black Panther does not. The sanctuary plans to return the Black Bobcat to the wild.
Black Bobcat Florida
Black Bobcat Florida
