Who can boast about filming a rare panther up close? Garrett Galvin certainly can.
The wildlife enthusiast and conservationist shared his footage of a Florida panther in the Everglades.
According to Outdoors.com, Galvin frequently visits the area at night in hopes of finding a 20-foot-long Burmese python.
"A once-in-a-lifetime experience getting this close to an endangered Florida panther!" Galvin wrote in an Instagram post. "It's not the 20-footer, but in my opinion it's just as good!"
According to the U.S. National Park Service, Florida panthers were once common throughout the southeastern United States. However, the NPS now counts fewer than 100 of them living in South Florida.
The species was heavily hunted when the state passed its first bounty law in 1832, and it nearly went extinct by the mid-1950s.
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"Today, the primary threats to the remaining panther population are habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation," the NPS said.
"Urban sprawl, the conversion of once-diversified agricultural lands into intensified industrial farming uses, and the loss of farmland to commercial development combine to reduce the amount of suitable panther habitat."
Although the equipment Galvin used to film the Florida panther was not disclosed, trail cameras are powerful tools for experts.
They can help conservationists gauge the population health of endangered species, study animal behavior and wider population dynamics, or document progress of rehabilitation efforts.
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Definitely 👍 Preserving wildlife species is critical for maintaining healthy, balanced, and biodiverse ecosystems, but it's a never-ending fight.
In June, for example, Governor Ron DeSantis had to veto a line in Florida's 2025-26 budget that would eliminate $200 million set aside to preserve sensitive lands. The money will now be used to buy key links around the northern Everglades and between two national forests in north Florida.
"Getting that close is absolutely unreal," one Instagram user said of Galvin's post.
"Way better than a python!" another commented. "Wish I could see one in the wild, before it sees me that is."
"Probably your best encounter," a third Instagrammer added.
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