NAPLES, Fla. — CCSO Community Service Deputy Brandi Ahrens had a close encounter of the panther kind Friday morning.
CSD Ahrens was typing a report in her work vehicle along the CREW Bird Rookery Swamp public hiking trail off Shady Hollow Blvd., around 8:30 a.m., when she saw something moving out of the corner of her eye.
It was a Florida panther, and it was heading her way.
CSD Ahrens rolled up her window, but managed to take a quick video in the process.
The Florida panther is an endangered species and catching a glimpse of one in the wild is a rare experience.
There are only 120 to 130 Florida panthers left in the wild, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
