Alligators, Pythons and Panthers, Oh my!

That's Florida for you. Everyone knows we have alligators, then there was a python. Now here is this bit of news.

Hearing his Chihuahua bark, the Immokalee man shone a light out his window.

The small dog was tied up in the side yard of the house with another dog. He saw a panther pounce on the Chihuahua and retreat with it to nearby woods.

The following morning, the sight was confirmed: Wildlife officers found the fresh tracks of a male Florida panther — and the Chihuahua lying dead in the woods.

The 8 p.m. attack on Dec. 12 was especially worrisome because a day-care center operates out of the home."The fact that the panther dropped the dog nearby means it wasn't hunting for food, so we're not worried that a panther is near humans," said Dani Moschella, spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "The dog was tethered to a post, so by moving, running or barking, it might have triggered the panther's instinct to attack."

The dog owners said they hadn't seen any previous such attacks at or near their home, which houses Anderson Large Family Child Care Home.

Hat tip- Florida Cracker who worries about the Panther returning in quest of an actual dog.
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