EVERGLADES – In the dense, murky depths of the Florida Everglades, where the air is thick with humidity and the landscape teems with life, Chet Richards roams as a guardian of native species. Renowned as a skilled python hunter, Chet has encountered every creature known to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission—and a few that aren’t officially on the books. But nothing could have prepared him for his most astonishing discovery yet: the elusive Pandasquatch.
Chet’s journey into the realm of cryptids began like any other day in the Everglades. Armed with his trusty gear and a keen eye, he set out to collect Burmese pythons, invasive predators wreaking havoc on the delicate ecosystem. But amidst the tangled undergrowth of switchcane—a native bamboo variety—Chet stumbled upon something truly extraordinary: a strange footprint, imprinted in the flattened vegetation. “The footprint looked like a regular old Bigfoot print, nothing to write home about. But it had some claws, and it was weird the way the cane had been nibbled on.”
Intrigued, Chet set up a motion-activated game camera to monitor the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever creature had left its mark. What he discovered was beyond his wildest imagination: a black-and-white creature unlike anything he had ever seen. After analyzing the images and conducting research, Chet came to a startling conclusion: he had encountered a Pandasquatch, a hybrid of Bigfoot and panda.
The origins of this enigmatic creature trace back to a little-known incident involving a regional flight bound for Miami International. In 2010, a midair collision with a flock of birds led to several crates containing exotic animals being lost over the Everglades. Among them was Mei Lan, a panda residing in an Atlanta zoo that was slated for return to China. The mishap was swept under the rug, but the repercussions lingered in the form of several strange creatures rumored to inhabit the Everglades.
As Chet sees it, the Pandasquatch is the result of a fortuitous encounter between a rejuvenated male panda and a Sasquatch, drawn together by the overwhelming vitality of the Everglades. “That Mei Lan must’ve known that he had just cheated death, and it got his motor running nice. Those pandas usually don’t have much of a libido, but those lady squatches must have pheromones or something, because just about anything will go crazy for them. I myself have fallen under their spell a time or two.”
While Chet has yet to lay his naked eyes on the Pandasquatch, his discovery has sparked fervent speculation within the wildlife community. Reports of strange creatures in the Everglades have long circulated, many of which may be traced back to the incident involving Mei Lan and the lost crates of animals. “You know, just when I think I’ve seen it all, the glades show me something new. I’m wondering what else might have been in those crates, maybe something real weird.”
For Chet, the encounter with the Pandasquatch is more than just a thrilling discovery—it’s a testament to the boundless wonders of the natural world. As he continues his work as a python hunter, he remains ever vigilant, knowing that the Everglades harbor secrets yet to be revealed. And who knows what other cryptids may lurk in the shadows, waiting to be discovered by intrepid explorers like Chet Richards.
Franklin Carson
