Across wooded areas in and around Lake Wales Ridge State Forest, researchers spent Monday checking motion-detecting trail cameras in search of the elusive Florida panther. A search, now successful, for a few consecutive months. “There's less than 200 that we know of out in the wild, so every sighting is really special to us as Florida natives,” Kelcey Innes, an animal care professional at ZooTampa, said. In partnership with fStop Foundation, ZooTampa has been maintaining and checking several trail cameras placed in Polk County the first Monday of every month. “It's important to see where their population is moving and also see what other animals around. We want to make sure that they have enough wildlife to sustain them if they are moving into these locations,” Tiffany Burns, senior animal director at ZooTampa, added. The footage gives an eye inside areas frequented by wildlife, undisrupted by human activity. “We get really excited when we see animals, whether it's an armadillo or a hog, and even more excited when we actually see the Florida panther,” Burns said. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/polkcounty/florida-panther-spotted-polk-county/67-138d948b-3232-4335-b4ab-e211b0ecc025