ナショナルジオグラフィックのインスタグラム(natgeo) - 7月17日 00時22分

Photo by @CarltonWard | For the past two years I have been pursuing Florida panthers with camera traps — the only reliable method for photographing them. But a few weeks ago, at Audubon's @CorkscrewSwamp, I had an encounter that I'll be talking about the rest of my life. I was driving into the backcountry and rounded a corner to see a panther sitting in the dirt road. I grabbed a telephoto lens and nervously snapped a few fuzzy frames through the windshield before rolling a little closer and pulling off to the side. The panther was still 150 yards away in harsh 3 PM light. When filmmaker Eric Bendick called, I was just watching. I whispered that I was staring at a real-life panther. The conference about our panther film would have to wait. Eric told me to take some video, and with the panther still far away in bad light, I complied, not realizing how jacked up I was until trying to hold my iPhone steady. After a few seconds of jittery self-narration, the panther started walking right towards me. When it sat back down in the road I resumed my video, but the panther started walking toward me again! I switched to my main camera, put it in silent mode and held my breath. The panther kept coming, skirting the edge of the swamp behind grass and low palms. I let the shutter rip every time it revealed itself, coming closer with every step. Then it walked within 20 yards of my truck and sat down in an island of palms directly out my window! I filled the frame with its body and looked straight into its piercing eyes! I had mistaken it for a young male by its height, but was corrected when a ruffling in the palms transformed into a kitten. When the little guy got closer, its mother stood and continued down the road. Then they vanished into a thick hammock leaving me alone with my thoughts. When I went to change the batteries in my nearby camera trap, the process felt mechanical and empty. Remote cameras are invaluable. But it’s a whole different experience when the panther is looking right back at you! I am thankful @audubonsociety for protecting this place and giving me access their land. Please join me @carltonward to follow the #PathofthePanther for @ナショナルジオグラフィック #FloridaWild

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• CorkscrewSwamp