What happens when a Florida panther faces off against a family of raccoons in feral hog trap? Thanks to this video out of Florida… we know it probably doesn’t play out exactly how you think it would.
Florida panthers are often considered “rare sightings” in the sunshine state. Mature panthers typically can be over six feet long and stand over two feet tall. They usually weigh anywhere between 70 and 150 pounds, depending on the panther’s gender. And Florida’s famous big cat is categorized in the “critically endangered” level, meaning that the species’ population decline is greater than 80 to 90 percent.
With their total numbers dwindling, Florida panthers are being seen less and less out in the wild. They generally live along the Gulf Coast of Florida now, and when occasional videos of the rare, elusive creatures are captured, they’re a big deal. They typically surface online, and in the latest example, a Florida panther found itself in a very favorable situation inside a feral hog trap.
Surprisingly enough… it actually didn’t end up working out in its favor.
A man in the Fort Myers area had set up a trap to try and catch feral hogs that were in the area. We talked about how scarce Florida panthers are, right? Well it’s the exact opposite for feral hogs. They reproduce like nobody’s business, and can really cause some damage to properties and crops.
That’s why this guy had set up a trap to try and catch some of the wild hog culprits. A Florida man named Peter sets up large-scale traps, and tries to lure the hogs in with corn. On this particular occasion, he accidentally lured a family of raccoons, who were then promptly followed by a much larger Florida panther.
After the family of raccoons went into the trap, the big cat went in right behind them, and the impromptu and makeshift cage match was on. Footage captured from above the pen showed the Florida panther approaching one of the four raccoons that were in the trap… and incredibly, the little trash panda held its own.
Not only that, when one of the raccoons was getting attacked, the others moved in to help out. It sure looks like the Florida panther thought it was going to stumble upon a very easy meal, and quickly found out that raccoons – especially in a group – don’t go down without a fight.
The footage that was posted to YouTube was described like this… and even revealed the fate of all the animals that were involved:
“This video was captured in Fort Myers, Florida. It’s from a friend of ours names Peter who traps feral hogs in pens and relocates them to keep them from destroying property such as yards and orchards. In this instance, the trap is open (see the open door to the left in the video).
Raccoons had found their way in, likely attracted by the corn used to lure hogs and were followed by a Florida Panther likely looking for a meal. Boy did that panther find her match! No animals were harmed while making this video and all eventually found their way out of the pen!”
