Sweaney says that the cougars being sighted in Tennessee are like the Western cougar subspecies that is likely recolonizing and expanding their range from the Midwest. Loy said he realizes how unusual his story is since experts say the existence of black cougars, or black panthers, have never been confirmed. Just at dusk on a backwoods trail in McCreary County many years ago, Judith Hensley was stunned when what appeared to be a black panther bounded across the road in front of the jeep in which she was a passenger. Nevertheless, according to Linzey, there were 12 reported sightings between 1908 and 1965 and 31 sightings for the years 1966-1976. Of course it is a black panther or the cub of a panther. Others have been cases of mistaken identity, where black house cats looked larger at great distance. According to forest officials, black panthers are rarely spotted in forest areas, and that too, in pairs. And the hills are alive with bigfoots aren’t they? Although two species of big cats are known to have sizable populations of black phase individuals, only one of these lives in the Americas, and not in the Northeast. Although such possible prey as deer and rodents, as well as fish are available in Appalachia, the region is very far out of the jaguar's natural range and in the winter, much, much colder than anywhere jaguars are known to live. When you are an 800 pound Bigfoot you can keep all sorts of wildlife as pets. Furthermore, black jaguars are much more common in the southern parts of their range, in the Amazon Rainforest. Sightings started … 100 lbs., and had a long thick tail. One of the last Big Cats in North America. Reply. Tennessee. Black panther and leopard spotted together, TN photographer captures rare sighting According to forest officials, black panthers are rarely spotted … In Asia and Africa, they are leopards and in America, they are jaguars, cougars or bobcats. “In the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Palakkad district, we managed to get a picture of a leopard, which was a hybrid between black panther and leopard,” he said. While many thought the big cats were spotted together in a forest area, Chandrasekhar says he spotted them in a tea plantation. The eastern cougars were unofficially deemed extinct by a U.S. Mythical, Cryptic Black Panther Reports in Appalachia. Linzey agrees. Over the weekend, a man in Laurens County made a post about an alleged 'black panther' sighting there that had the internet buzzing. However, there are a number of theories that account for sightings of cryptid black panthers in Appalachia. Appalachian black panthers are revered by cryptics because biologists refuse to recognize the possibility of their existence. … From Tennessee and West Virginia to the north, reports of black panther sightings are somewhat frequent. But they are not visible due to lack of melanin content,” he elucidates. To wit, in 2015, the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency confirmed, for the first time in 100 years, the presence of mountain lions in Tennessee, after a man in Humphreys County—west of Nashville and about 300 miles from the Smokies—captured photos of one on a trail camera. A giant feline paw print found in an Australian wildlife sanctuary, Ohio's Eerie Black Panther: Killed Livestock and Terrorized People, The Missouri Momo Monster: Bigfoot-Werewolf Hybrid, Crowd Demons: What Is It And Where Is It From, The Houston Gargoyle: A Strange Sighting At NASA’s Space Center, Lycanthropy! The eastern cougar or eastern puma (Puma concolor couguar) is the extirpated population of cougars that lived in northeastern North America, which some authorities have considered to be a subspecies. The legend of the large cat on the prowl in north Mississippi remains strong. Although relying on explanations is not nearly as intriguing as taking the cryptozoological approach, there are a number of factors that can attempt to account for big, black cat sightings in the Northeast. Enter your email address below to subscribe to our newsletter. A Mid-South man says he has proof big cats are on the prowl in West Tennessee. Happy RIM-Oween, folks!#RIM Only a few confirmed sightings of mountain lions have occurred in Tennessee in recent years. Leopards are native to Africa and Asia, and jaguars are found in Central and South America, and perhaps at times in the very southern parts of the United States. Many people like to believe that such strange and noble creatures can exist so far out of place, but, as with most cryptids, scientists deem their existence unlikely. For the Kotagiri native, who worked with an NGO, it was a dream-come-true moment. Book details sightings of panthers, mountain lions. There haven’t been any cougars in Tennessee since the early 1900s.Similar to Tennessee’s wild elk and buffalo, the cougar was extirpated from the state around the early 1900s due to overhunting and habitat loss. “I couldn't believe my eyes. There are two species of big cats in the Western Hemisphere, which are the jaguar and the mountain lion. Little did the residents of the townships of Busti, Ellery and Jamestown know that these predators were also seen several times, two year prior, in Forestville, Fredonia, Sherman, Ripley and other communities. Sightings are quite common along and around the Buffalo River in Tennessee. “Last week, a Kotagiri native told me about the presence of a black panther and a leopard. However, an actual black cat could also be the offspring of zoo escapees, which maintains that the animals are actually surviving in the area on their own. “I understand that black panthers don’t exist, and there has never been one documented,” Loy said. This map was created by a user. Reports of large black cats, too large to be house cats, that seem to resemble black panthers have been reportedly seen in the Appalachian Mountains in the Northeast United States. So-called "panther" sightings have become so common across the Mid-South that conservation officials barely … The black leopard’s sighting was published in the African Journal of Ecology. The "Cherokee Cougar" taxidermy is claimed to be a black puma. The third, probably most likely explanation of a credible report would be a sighting of an escaped jaguar or leopard from a zoo (and escapes have happened historically). According to forest officials, black panthers are rarely spotted in forest areas, and that too, in pairs. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Jackson, TN: Black: I live in the community of Springbrook in Madison County TN, and was pulling into my drive way at about 5:15 A.M. sometime in April when I saw a black panther run from infront of my house and into the woods. Science says there's no such thing as a black panther. December 4th, 2018 Log in to Reply. Black panther: not a mountain lion; a sub-species of jaguar. Undermining the credibility of a number of Tennessee cougar reports is the fact that many are described as black panthers. That same year, in Carroll County, DNA from hair samples definitively linked a female panther to populations in South Dakota. “A black panther is born with genetic issues. Around 4 pm, I spotted the pair resting on a rock inside a private tea plantation near the Nilgiri forest,” he told TNM. First off, some sightings have been officially deemed hoaxes. “They have black jaguars in Central and South America but no black panthers. “There’s never been a melanistic cougar found anywhere.” Fish and Wildlife Service evaluation in 2011. Although such possible prey as deer and rodents, as well as fish are available in Appalachia, the region is very far out of the jaguar’s natural range and in the winter, much, much colder than anywhere jaguars are known to live. Cougars have returned to Tennessee. Several months later, W. Orr killed a panther near what is now Fontana Village and found that its left shoulder blade was cut in two. Although mountain lions (pumas, cougars, catamounts) have historically inhabited just about all areas of the continental United States (as well as much of Canada, and almost all of Central and South America), there has never been a single recorded black phase in a cougar. All 10 confirmed cougar sightings have been in West and Middle Tennessee. When you call to report a sighting they snigger, someone I know responded to such contempt by stating ‘well it won’t matter if I shoot it then’ and the official stated flatly, ‘don’t kill my cats.’ HMMM. The cougar (Puma concolor), also known as mountain lion, panther, painter, puma, and catamount, is the largest feline animal in North America.. After a brave expedition by three local heroes, the "Mississippi Panther" is finally in custody. Earlier, I have clicked photographs of tigers, leopards, bears and other wild animals. I quickly captured the moment and left the spot without disturbing them,” raves wildlife photographer Das Chandrasekhar, who captured the rare scene of a black panther and a leopard together in Kotagiri taluk in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu. The 1.87m (6' 2") big cat is variously claimed to have been shot in Tennessee or Montana and variously claimed to be genuine, a hoax (tawny puma dyed black) or a hybrid. Black Panthers are born from leopards and they are not two different animals, says PM Prabhu, the assistant warden at Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Idukki. Yet sightings of big black cats in Appalachia are still reported every so often. ... (Mountain Lion) sightings in Tennessee since 2016. In Obion and Humphreys County, images of the animals were captured on game cams. Farva. NC Residents Alarmed by Black Panther Sightings Authorities in Stokes County, N.C. are on panther patrol after getting several reports of a big cat on the prowl. But, it was the first time capturing the picture of a black panther pair, as they are rarely spotted in forest areas, and it is especially difficult to get a picture of the pairs,” says the 31-year-old photographer. Over a dozen documented sightings of two large Panthers/Cougars, roaming within an area of less than 10 miles, culminated into an attack of a young boy on August 14, 1946 in Busti, New York. The black phase in these cats is simply a color variant in its fur. Without second thoughts, I reached the spot. And although jaguars represent one of the two big cats worldwide that come in black, the very northern limit of their range is the extreme Southwest (in the United States). But there have been numerous Cougar (Mountain Lion) sightings in Tennessee since 2016. Prabhu adds that the Kerala forest department, on numerous occasions, has managed to photograph black panthers using night vision cameras in the forest. That is why some have come to see black panthers as cryptids, according to newanimal.com. In 2015 there were three confirmed cougar sightings in West Tennessee — the first in over 100 years. Wildlife officials in TN say there are no black panthers in our area. Show us some love and support our journalism by becoming a TNM Member - Click here. These creatures have garnered the attention of cryptozoologists, as biologists refuse to recognize the cats as real in such parts of the country. DNA testing from one cougar in West Tennessee suggested that the cat was related to cougars in the Black … Although such possible prey as deer and rodents, as well as fish are available in Appalachia, the region is very far out of the jaguar’s natural range and in the winter, much, much colder than anywhere jaguars are known to live. If closely observed, one can find the spots, like those of leopards, on the black panther as well. The debate is over. What a beautiful animal. Daily updated website dedicated to unexplained mysteries. “Wild black panthers have never existed in the wild in North America,” said Hunter. C. ClinchValley86 Well-known member. Point of reference, this is Union County in TN. Tennessee has a tradition of "black panther" sightings. A few months ago we reported on cougar sightings in the area. Most of the mountain lions in South Dakota can be found in the Black Hills region, where there are an estimated 300-500 lions. “I have been waiting for the right moment for the last three years. Learn how to create your own. Bigfoots don’t keep noisy animals like dogs as pets, they keep animals like panthers as pets. This was generally believed to be the same cat Mr. Sparks had wounded. And if the Appalachian cat is natural, it would almost have to be a jaguar, as scientists do not consider a black phase of the mountain lion remotely probable. Paranormal news, articles, real ghost stories, UFO, aliens and everything from A to Z of the unexplained, strange & odd. I did not mean to imply that there had ever been a black panther confirmed sighting. From Tennessee and West Virginia to the north, reports of black panther sightings are somewhat frequent. Possible Explanations for Black Panthers as Cryptids in Appalachia. Beware the Werewolf: Lore and Reality, The Sky Serpent Sightings: When Eyewitnesses Tell The Unbelievable, Dragon of the Ishtar Gate: Evidence of the Ancient Snake-Dragon, Legend of Mothman: How Everything Started, Supernatural Jinn: The Unseen and the Mysterious Creature, In Japan, Allowed To Grow Hybrids Of Humans And Animals, New Theory Suggests That We Travel To Parallel Universes When We Dream, Pyramids Discovered In Russia Twice As Old As Egyptian, Mummified Captain Found In Ghost Ship Drifting At Sea, Loveland Castle: One Of The Most Haunted Sites In Ohio. When people think of popular cryptids, eerie creatures like the Chupacabra and Bigfoot may come to mind, but this animal which is certainly real elsewhere, fits the category because it is not thought to inhabit the Northeastern U.S. Actual black panthers may be leopards or jaguars; both felines go through a stage where their fur turns black. It was approx. Black panthers is the melanistic colour variant of any big cat species. From Tennessee and West Virginia to the north, reports of black panther sightings are somewhat frequent. The U.S. The sleek, powerful cats disappeared from the state in the early 1900s. 8 Responses to “Alabama Bigfoot Society: Black Panther Sightings” Bob B. A second person has come forward with more proof that there is definitely something to the story. Update: There are also mountain lions in other parts of the state but the populations are smaller and exact numbers unclear. 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