Is this Florida or the Serengeti?
Two hunters in Devil’s Garden, Florida witnessed one of nature’s craziest spectacles when two extremely rare Florida panthers went to war just feet from their hideout.
There are around 200 wild panthers roaming throughout South Florida, and while this number seems pretty low at first glance, it is significantly higher than it was in the 1970s.
According to the National Wildlife Foundation, the panther population reached a low of 20 to 30 in the wild at one point, putting this incredible animal on the brink of extinction.
If it weren’t for the great work of many scientists, who passed protection laws and introduced 8 female Texas cougars to increase breeding chances and genetic diversity, Florida would almost certainly not have its state animal.
While there is still a lot of work to be done, the species appears to have stabilized and wildlife enthusiasts may be able to see these creatures again in their natural habitat, although you generally don’t want to get as close as these guys did.
As the two hunters sat in their blinds, they heard a kill of crows calling harshly and repeatedly, usually indicating a predator is nearby. Sure enough, a young tom entered their field of vision shortly after, and while just seeing him would have been cool enough, what they got to witness is a truly once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a mature bull barged in and attacked the young panther, clearly disgusted that she was encroaching on its territory. The two start a fight to the death, a stone’s throw from where the hunters were sitting.
As you may have guessed, the older male is easily the most dominant and will lead the young panther, pinning it on its back while it tries to bite its stomach area. But just when all seems lost, another crazy thing happens, and a huge boar bursts out of the tree line and starts running towards the warring cats.
The older panther is distracted by the boar, allowing the younger panther to escape and run into the tall grass, safe to live another day.
Not going to lie, I was hoping the victor would take out the rest of his aggression with the pig, but at the end of the day, all the animals went about their business.
What an amazing sight.
If anyone doubts that it’s a real jungle in Florida, just show them this video…
