Panthers are very rare but I once came across one in Florida while walking through a nature reserve. It was quite odd -- I saw what I assumed was a house cat and thought how sad, the cat is lost and surely will be eaten by the alligators. Then I realized the "house cat" was at huge (as big as me it seemed) and was a little odd in shape for a normal pussycat. The cat saw me and ran back into the woods -- later in my hotel the staff told me people spent years trying to see a panther without success and I was lucky to stumble across one (and to not be attacked by it!). There are no more than 100 or so panthers in the wild so seeing one is a truly remarkable event.
Virginia town tries to prove existence of "ghost cats"
BLACKSTONE, Va. - U.S. wildlife officials are reviewing the matter, but some residents of Blackstone, Virginia, are convinced they've got cougars running around their town.
The local newspaper has run at least 15 stories in the last five years about sightings in Blackstone and a neighbouring Army National Guard training base.
The local newspaper has run at least 15 stories in the last five years about sightings in Blackstone and a neighbouring Army National Guard training base.
The paper's editor says he gets a sense that game commission people are laughing.
The large cats are also called mountain lions, pumas, panthers and "ghost cats." Wildlife officials say except for a population of 100 in Florida, they were wiped out in the eastern U-S by 1900.
While hundreds of sightings are reported each year from Maine to the Carolinas, only 64 have been confirmed in more than 100 years.
Experts say most are likely cases of mistaken identity - perhaps a bobcat, deer or even a Labrador retriever.
4 comments:
I'm sorry, you thought this was a pussycat???? shoot man, get glasses, you need them....
how could anyone mistake a deer for a cat/panther?
My dad has lived in Florida since the 50s, in the NW part of the state which at this point is not thought to have panthers but did still then (it was very unpopulated then and is still one of the least populous parts of the state.
Not long after he had gotten there, he was archery deer hunting and realized a panther was in the trees above him, monitoring him.
He said he was aware of where it was for a while as he started making his way out of the dense woods (lots of low oaks and dense growth in the marshy areas there). And he was aware the panther was following him, which was a bit disconcerting as you can imagine.
He eventually lost sight of it and obviously made it back to his truck safely.
But I still find it a fascinating story, in that not only did he see one of the rare panthers, but he was actually somewhat "stalked" by it. Yikes.
I still think that is probably why I tend to be a bit sensitive to that out here in BC. I used to hike alone when I lived in the eastern US, but I never quite feel comfortable out here where bear sightings are common and panther sightings not so rare.
Incidentally, in the panhandle of Florida (the NW part), bobcats are still numerous. I used to see one every once in a while when going for runs there.
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