Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve

Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve is a 110,000 acre preserve in the four-corner area of Lake County, Pasco County, Polk County and Sumter County, east of Dade City, Florida. It includes a 36-mile section of the Withlacoochee River and offers hiking trails. It is managed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. It includes various habitats and is home to a wide array of wildlife. The preserve is divided into five areas: 5,067 acre Colt Creek State Park, the 51,149 acre East Tract; the 11,052 acre Hampton Tract; the 4,446 acre Little Withlacoochee Tract; and the 37,350 acre West Tract.

During the 1800s and into the early 1900s some families lived in these areas. They built ranches, had orange groves and lived an old Florida lifestyle. The Green Swamp is mostly being reclaimed by nature so it looks a lot different than it did in the early days, but those remnants still do remain in the swamp. There was a railroad line that was close by as well and many folks lived along them when trains were one of the main sources for transportation.

In 1974, 322,000 acres of the Green Swamp region were designated an Area of Critical State Concern. Purchases began in the early 1970s and are ongoing.

The Green Swamp Wild Man

Some of the many sightings of the Green Swamp Skunk Ape in the mid-1970s may be related to the unfortunate story of Hu Tu Mei, called “The Wild Man of the Green Swamp” by local newspapers and the New York Times.

He was a mariner, Mei had grown homesick after leaving his wife, four sons, and three daughters in Taipei, Taiwan. After he started to become violent, and lost his mind... the crew of the freighter he was working on took him to the hospital. They also wanted to send him back to his native Taiwan because he was “psychotic and illiterate.”

He was then admitted to the security ward at Tampa General Hospital, and he escaped from there shortly afterward. According to the Border Patrol, he disappeared without a trace.

Hu spent eight months in the Green Swamp, subsisting off armadillos, snakes, and corn left out by hunters for wild turkey. By mid-1975, three counties had received reports of a “wild man” or creature committing burglaries, and police had unsuccessfully sent six search expeditions after him. Hu, of course, was deep in the swamp.

With the aid of a search plane, a group of 15-20 deputies found Hu's camp and after a struggle they finally arrested him. Sumter County Sheriff Don Page described him as “the strongest man I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Hu was reportedly terrified while in custody: (through an interpreter) “They are going to kill me, and I will rather kill myself first.” He spent two days in jail before taking his own life in his cell. His ashes were then sent back to Taiwan as the cremation was ordered by the Republic of China Consulate General in Atlanta.

The Florida Skunk Ape

The Lakeland men claimed to have spotted a skunk ape while investigating claims. Mark Barton and Chris Conner have been searching the area for almost two years. The men have shot video they believe shows the head and part of the upper body of a skunk ape hiding behind a palmetto bush. The two said they didn't realize they had captured what they believe is a skunk ape on video until they reviewed their footage after a trip into the Green Swamp. The video only lasts for a brief moment, and they understand that many people might think it is not conclusive evidence skunk apes actually exist.

In 2012, along the Florida National Scenic Trail in the West Tract of SWFMD's Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve. At a spot between a fork with a sign pointing to the Boy Scout Bigfoot Wilderness Camp and the Cumpressco Camp. Around 2 or 3 am a local hunter and his son was woken by a sound that he can only describe as a mixture of a whooping, screaming, howl. He patted his son on the leg and he responded in a whisper that he was awake and he heard it too; the two laid there for several minutes and then they heard a whistling noise moving through the swamp around the perimeter of our camp. It was not like a bird it was almost like a human whistling a tune but much louder. The whistling lasted for several minutes. It was long drawn out whistles not just 2 or 3 seconds and then a pause. Another hour or so later they woke up again just in time to see a large ape like silhouette pass by the backside of the tent.

Recreation

The Green Swamp is a popular destination for birding, hiking, trail running, bicycling, equestrian, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and hunting. It is also popular among trail runners with the Skunk Ape Night Run and the Skunk Ape's Revenge that take place every year. Dances With Dirt used to be a popular race that once was held in the Green Swamp.