Yes, the standard pattern for F&G deptments. Fla denied it for decades, NO FLA PANTHERS LEFT.
Then, after many, many sightings, all denied by F&G, somebody deposited a dead body on the floor of
a F&G office and said, "OK, so what is this?" An escaped pet, of course. With nothing but deer and
squirrel in it's belly. Right.
Then another dead one......finally F&G allowed as how there "Might be a small breeding group left deep in the
Everglades." A friend works sometimes (for free) for a Prof at UF Gainesville tracking them. He has tracked
them into suburbia, and nobody says they have seen anything when they went door to door asking. Lots of them
and at least as far north as central Fla.
Same in KS, although they still deny. I saw one, for certain, and my wife saw it too, same time. We agree
exactly on what we saw. I have asked farmer friends, and they say, "sure, we've seen them and their tracks"
But there are none, according to KS Dept. of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, at least
the last time I heard. A whole lot more out there than we know. Very stealthy animals.
Our forefathers were smarter than we are, killing out the wolves. Dumber than heck bringing them back.
Suppose you saw this big 'yote and punched a hole in him...... Oh, darn.
Bill