Florida panther suspected in disappearance of Naples farm animals

NAPLES, Fla. (FOX 13) - A Florida woman was wondering why her farm animals were disappearing, and now she thinks she found the culprit: a panther.

Jenn Cooper tells FOX 13 she had two goats at her Naples home, and each went missing one at a time over the past few days. Her pigs -- a pregnant female and male -- also disappeared.

On Monday, Jenn was at her home, when she first spotted the suspected Florida panther run and jump through her backyard.

"When the panther came in the yard it was face to face with the male pig and that was the day, Buddy, the male goat went missing," she explained. "We've never had any issues with our animals missing or being taken before."

Jenn captured the moment on video, showing the beast gracefully run past her trampoline. She also witnessed the panther’s powerful leap over her fence.

She shared her video on her Facebook page, writing, “Now we know our goats didn’t get stolen... by a human at least. I’ve never seen a panther that big before. Right outside our back door in the day time hours when we are usually out tending the farm.”

In Florida, panthers are one of two large native cat species – the other being the bobcats. They are also listed as an endangered species. Florida Fish and Wildlife officials said there are up to 230 adult panthers in the population.