Florida man finds panther sitting on father's front porch

FORT MYERS, Fla., March 30 (UPI) -- A Florida man met an unexpected guest while visiting his father's house in Fort Myers -- a Florida panther sitting on the front porch.

Florida Fish and Wildlife shared a photo taken by Phil Hendra showing the panther looking back at the camera as it calmly rested on his father's porch.

"It stayed for about 20 minutes and laid down for a bit," Hendra said. "It looked at us inside the window then slowly walked away and we have not seen it since."

Hendra said he's had at least one run-in with a younger panther in the nearly 30 years that his father has lived in the Lee County home, but they were still shocked to find the animal.

"My parents have lived here since 1988 and they may have seen a younger panther about two years ago, but nothing compares to this once-in-a-lifetime experience," he said.

The Fish and Wildlife Research Institute also dismissed false information stating that the sighting occurred in the Oldsmar area of Pinellas County.