Amazing Sighting at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Early on a Saturday morning in March, Jo Gryniewicz, a photographer visiting from Pennsylvania, went out to the boardwalk. Very shortly thereafter, she had a life-changing experience when she saw and photographed a Florida panther about 30 feet away. With her long lens already in her hands, she was able to snap a few quick photos before it took off. She was kind enough to share her uncropped photo with us.

Florida panthers are very timid, but encounters like this have taken place at the Sanctuary a few times in recent decades. This time, the lucky visitor managed to keep her cool long enough to get proof. 

Florida panthers are the only remaining cougars in the eastern United States, with about 200 adults in the wild as of 2025. As top predators, panthers are territorial and require 150 to 200 square miles for one male and several females.

Urbanization and habitat fragmentation across South Florida continually confine panthers to smaller areas, resulting in territorial fights between them, an increase in vehicle strikes, and more human-panther interactions in general.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary protects 13,000 acres of the land that these cats need for survival, but their habitat is shrinking. Protecting them also means protecting our watersheds and human communities.