E505,
The dispatcher you talked to does not know what she is talking about. The Florida panther or Everglades panther IS indigenous to Georgia in its historical range and is so endangered that there is argument over whether it is endangered or extinct in Georgia.
See
http://environment.about.com/library...ida+panther%22
Link to a picture of a captive bred Florida panther
http://www.atlantic.net/~oldfla/panther/bart.jpg