Sasquatch FAQ Series: Do Wood Apes Avoid Game Cameras?

With thousands of game cameras out there, if bigfoot is real, why are there no pictures?

The question above is one I have heard countless times over the years. Make no mistake, it is a fair question and I have no problem with anyone who asks it. On the surface, the fact that no clear and conclusive photos have been captured via game camera would seem to indicate that the wood ape does not exist. The real answer as to why game cameras have failed to get the “money shot,” however, may not be quite so simple. As seems to be the case with almost everything related to the sasquatch enigma, the truth may be more nuanced and layered than one might expect.

In 2003, a team from the University of Nebraska published a paper titled Wariness of Coyotes to Camera Traps Relative to Social Status and Territory Boundaries. The paper detailed an aversion that Alpha coyotes seemed to have regarding game cameras. The study took place in the Dye Creek Preserve in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains of California which was closed to the public. The authors thought the coyote population in this area would make good subjects for their study due to their extremely limited exposure to humans. “Coyotes on the preserve were not hunted and generally represented an unexploited population,” the authors wrote. The results of their study were fascinating.

The study found that the dominant coyotes, the Alphas, were never photographed inside their territories during the three years the game cameras were in place. Not one time. The authors concluded that this was not due to the animals having left the area as Betas and transient coyotes, thirty-eight in all, were successfully photographed by the cameras and Alphas were observed via more traditional means in their territories. Instead, the authors felt the lack of photos of the Alphas had to do with an increased level of awareness and caution on the part of the dominant pack members. “Alphas are probably the only coyotes that are truly territorial in terms of defending and fully exploiting their space,” the authors said. The Alphas regularly traversed their entire territories and “actively tracked human activity within their territories and presumably gained information about camera stations as they were being set up.” The final conclusion was the Alphas “were cautious of camera stations because of their association with humans and not simply because they were novel.”

The conclusion that Alpha coyotes avoided game cameras because they associated them with humans is one that has real ramifications for those attempting to gain photographic evidence of the wood ape by the use of such devices. The NAWAC conducted a large-scale camera-trapping project dubbed Operation Forest Vigil from 2006 – 2011. Despite hundreds of man hours and thousands of dollars spent on the effort, no definitive photos of the target species were captured. The thinking was that apes might avoid the cameras for a few days or weeks after their initial deployment, but get used to them over time. The lack of results and the findings of the University of Nebraska biologists caused the group to reconsider that opinion and the project. If the apes were avoiding the cameras due to associating them with humans and not because they were something new and out of place – like the Alpha coyotes in the University of Nebraska study – then the group was very likely wasting its time and money. 

Coyotes are one thing, apes are another. How can we be sure that apes are as wary of cameras as Alpha coyotes? A recent study conducted by the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology shed some light on that question. According to a paper published in March of 2019, an international team of researchers placed cameras in ape-populated forests in Africa in an effort to learn how wild apes would react to these unfamiliar objects. Responses varied by species, and even among individuals within the same species, but one thing was consistent throughout: the apes definitely noticed the cameras.

“Our goal was to see how chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas react to unfamiliar objects in the wild since novel object experiments are often used in comparative psychology research, and we wanted to know if there were any differences among the three great apes,” said primatologist Ammi Kalan. “We were specifically surprised by the differences in reactions we observed between the chimps and bonobos. Since they are sister species and share a lot of the same genetic makeup, we expected them to act similarly to the camera, but this wasn’t the case.” The chimps, though they noticed the cameras, seemed uninterested, for the most part. The bonobos, on the other hand, were stressed by the devices. “The bonobos appeared to be much more troubled by the camera traps; they were hesitant to approach and would actively keep their distance from them,” said Kalan.

The experiment pointed out the necessity of researchers to consider how animals will respond to unfamiliar monitoring equipment – I would include audio recording devices under this umbrella, too –in their natural habitats. The variation in behavior from species to species towards unfamiliar objects placed in their environment “might be problematic when trying to collect accurate monitoring data,” said Kalan. In other words, there may be no such thing as truly passive observation. The mere presence of a camera or a recorder may alter the behavior of the target species.

Many researchers, me among them, have long held the belief that wood apes avoid camera traps. Do not misunderstand, I do not think an ape knows what a camera does and makes a conscious effort to avoid having its picture taken. That is foolishness. I do, however, think it is possible – likely even – that these wood apes associate cameras with humans. If they understand, even on an extremely rudimentary level, that humans are generally bad news, and if they are more bonobo-like than chimpanzee-like in their sensitivity to foreign objects in there environment, then they are likely going to go to great pains to avoid anything to do with them; that would include camera traps.

Despite this belief, I am still a proponent of the use of game cameras. I feel short of a hunter taking a specimen or a road-kill type of scenario, cameras remain our best chance of documenting the species. I also feel that despite the challenges, a large-scale camera project sponsored by a well-funded group with sufficient resources just might be able to capture the evidence desired. What must be understood is that just hanging a camera on a stake or a tree is not going to be good enough when the quarry is something as intelligent as a great ape. New and novel techniques will need to be utilized to have any chance of success. Another reason I remain a proponent of game cameras is that these creatures are not infallible. They do make the occasional mistake. Researchers can do the wrong thing, be too loud, fail to camouflage their cameras, etc. day after day for years. That is okay; there is always tomorrow. The wood ape has to be perfect every day in order to permanently avoid detection. That is simply not possible, not even for an animal as furtive and elusive as the sasquatch. One mistake. That is all it will take for the discovery of the millennium to be made. The question really is not whether or not the wood ape will make a mistake; one will. The question is will there be anyone or a monitoring device present to capitalize on said mistake?

If you are the type to get into discussions over cryptozoological-related matters – and you likely are considering you are reading this – file the findings of the University of Nebraska biologists and the researchers of the Max Planck Institute away for future conversations. The question of why no photos have been captured by game cameras is bound to come up eventually. Along with the most common response – and quite a valid one, in my opinion – stating that most game cameras are pointed at deer feeders that are not too deep into the woods, bring up the possibility, backed by scientific studies, that some animals simply avoid cameras due to their association with humans. You will come across as well-read, reasonable, and intelligent.

You will also be right.

Sources:

“Wild African Ape Reactions to Novel Camera Traps.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 14 Mar. 2019, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190314111015.htm.

Sequin, E.S, et al. “Wariness of Coyotes to Camera Traps Relative to Social Status and Territory Boundaries.” Digital Commons @ University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff Publications, Mar. 2003, digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=http://woodape.org/index.php/about-bigfoot/articles/190-cryptidcaution&httpsredir=1&article=1227&context=icwdm_usdanwrc.

Higgins, Alton, and Daryl Colder. “Cryptid Caution Concerning Cameras?” Cryptid Caution Concerning Cameras?, woodape.org/index.php/about-bigfoot/articles/190-cryptidcaution.

Interview with a Black Panther Witness

Following is a short interview I did with a young lady who claims to have had an encounter with a large, long-tailed black cat on her family's property outside of Greenville, Texas. A more extensive interview  had already taken place, which prompted my visit. This brief conversation took place at the actual location of the sighting.

*NOTE* : I made an error when I said the incident took place along the Trinity River. The incident took place along the Sabine River. Getting this video uploaded was surprisingly difficult so I did to want to redo it. The important part of the video is what the young lady had to say and not how I introduced the interview, OR I'm just lazy, lol.

I did an audio only interview as the witness is very young (7th grader) and I did not want to put her photo or likeness up on the internet. I'm sure you can all understand why. Her account is very simple and matter-of-fact. Her older brother and a friend had an encounter of their own later while out hog hunting on the property. He was away at college when I visited so I could not interview him on video or audio recorder.

I thought  it would be interesting for some of you who are following these reports to hear an actual voice associated with a sighting. I should be checking the cameras on the property in the next month or so.

If you would like to know more about where black panther sightings are taking place in Texas, visit my interactive black panther sightings distribution map. More than 150 credible sightings have been charted. If you would really like to dive into the topic pick up a copy of my book on the subject titled Shadow Cats: The Black Panthers of North America. It is full of color photographs and, at 240 pages, a fairly quick read. You can pick it up at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and anywhere online books are sold. Click one of the links above or the photo of the book to the right in the margin, if interested.

The Latest Black Panther Sightings From Texas

Over the last half a year, or so, I have been busy working on getting my book, Shadow Cats: The Black Panthers of North America, finished out and published. I have spent so much time on it that the blog has suffered a bit. Now that I have completed the book and it has been published I am going to do my very best to get caught up on a back log of many things, not the least of which are new sightings of large, black, long-tailed cats in the Lone Star State. Below you will find the latest reports, a couple of which include video or a photograph shot by the witness.

10/6/17

“I have a place about 6 miles southeast of Graham, Texas. In the past 20+, I’ve seen cougars and bobcats on the property and always enjoy getting to see their impact on the smaller critters and even found a good-sized buck that had been pulled into a tree by a cougar a few years back.

In 2004, I walked up on a large black cat with a long tail that didn’t taper at the end, it was as thick at the end and rounded. I startled it as much as it surprised me and it quickly went down into a gully that it may have just come up out of when I came along. I was so shocked by its size and color that I actually followed down the large rocks (pretty stupid) until I realized that I was not being very bright.

I told some TPW about the sighting, they looked at me as if I’d seen a pink panther and stated that no such animal comes that far north in Texas. When I told a local, who had originally thought me ‘crazy’ when I told him there was a cougar on the place, which was later verified, he immediately perked up and shared that a woman feeding her houses had seen something similar at dawn a few days earlier a few miles away.

The animal was dark, I’d say black, but did have a pattern of lighter brown ‘honeycomb’ markings on its side and even tail. 

I set up a game camera but never got a photo and I have not seen a dark big cat since. Still get a cougar every few years and had several bobcats that came around but I think someone on surrounding properties killed them. People are afraid cats will kill their pets, goats, or calves and tend to kill them.

Know it’s been too long to really mean anything. Just wanted to let you know that, regardless of what TPW says, there are large black cats out there.”

-       James Shelton

TCH Comments: James, thank you for sharing your story. Based on the description, there are really only two animals James could have seen: a melanistic jaguar or leopard. Jaguars are, of course, native to Texas while leopards are Asiatic and/or African cats. Graham is in north central Texas to the west of Fort Worth in Young County. This is pretty lonesome country and there is plenty of room for a big cat of some kind to roam. There is a more than adequate prey-base in the region and water sources include Flatrock Creek, the Brazos River, Graham Lake, and Possum Kingdom Lake. The area is one from which cougar sightings are becoming more common (a huge male mountain lion was recently road-killed outside of Mineral Wells which is just to the southeast of Young County’s borders).

10/14/17

“Hello! I discovered your blog while trying to validate sighting a black panther. I felt the need to add another sighting to your lists. We have property in Limestone county. Specifically, between Mart and Groesbeck. Last spring, March 2017, my Great Danes rushed out of the yard into our pasture after something towards the wooded creek. I was watching closely as we have had several young calves and yearlings go missing. Those of us in the area are aware we have a predator. 

My dogs are both over 130 lbs. but they went to the creek and into the woods along it. They promptly hightailed it back into the fence and me. I thought at first it must have been a false alarm but then saw a large black cat. Slowly, serenely walking along the edge of the woods. It walked across the gravel road and continued into the creek area. It was without a doubt a cat. Black with a long tail (the tail was nearly as long as the body of the cat). I would estimate the size of the cat to be about 75 lbs. roughly the size of a full-grown Labrador. Not as big as my Danes, but big enough to send my them scurrying away.

That was my eye witness account. When I was speaking of it with one of my neighbors she told me that everybody knows that there are black panthers in the area. (We are fairly new to the area.) Her husband and a laborer got too close to one building a fence near their woods/creek line. She said they were putting in posts and heard a ‘little rumble’ they looked up and in a tree not 15 feet away was a black panther watching them. She said they commenced to backing away, yelling and waving their arms. The panther jumped about 10 feet out of the tree the other way and walked deeper in the woods. She just laughed and said they took a long lunch and came back with guns on their hips. But they didn’t see it again.

She didn’t tell me when that happened. She was so casual about it. I didn’t think there was anything unusual about it until I was looking to see if there are panthers in the Gatesville area. Only to find out the existence of what I saw, and what the locals accept as common knowledge, is denied! LOL

Good luck to you in obtaining evidence!" 

-       Kristi

TCH Comments: Limestone County in central Texas and the counties that surround it have been the source of many black panther reports over the years. The area is rural and farming and ranching dominate economic activity. There are also large tracts of land owned by mining outfits that are off limits to the public. All in all, there is a lot of space for a big cat to roam. In addition, there is a healthy population of the usual Texas prey species (deer, hogs, rabbits, etc.). Kristi’s description of a solid black cat with a tail “nearly as long as the body” is consistent with most of the reports I receive. I can personally attest to the fact that many residents of Limestone County have no doubt that some kind of large, long-tailed cat roams the area.

10/19/17

“I encountered what could only be described as a black panther on Wednesday morning 10/18/17 at around 6:15 a.m. in Euless,Texas.

I was taking the dog out, leashed with her in the lead, and as we walked down the front steps she suddenly planted her feet and began to moonwalk backwards. I looked up and screamed because less the 7 ft. from us, was an ink black, powerfully built animal, I screamed and it glided across the driveway as we of course ran back into the house. 

An hour or so later, when the sun was up I went outside to look at the grass where it had crossed and it was bent sideways and smashed down quite deeply indicating the animal had to have had significant body weight. I am wondering due to the circumference of grassy area that has been disrupted if it had been crouching in that spot when my dog became aware of it. Yikes!

So glad I found your blog when I googled trying to find information about what I knew I had seen but thinking was impossible.”

L. Debilzan

Euless Texas

TCH Comments: Euless is in Tarrant County just north of and between Fort Worth and Dallas. At first glance, this seems an unlikely part of the state to see any kind of big cat, but past experience shows me that simply is not the case. Tarrant County has been the source of no less than six (counting this one) black panther reports that I feel are credible. There have also been several reports of tawny-colored mountain lions in the county. Bobcats have become almost commonplace in the area. How are these cats finding their way into such an urban area? There are numerous small creeks that provide greenbelts which the cats could use as transportation routes. There are also golf courses and large parks that provide wooded areas. Perhaps the most intriguing idea is the possibility that some kind of big cat is living on, or near, the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The airport occupies a very large piece of land in Tarrant County. The Dallas-Fort Worth area is heavily populated and urban but becomes rural very quickly on the northernmost edges of the Metroplex. There is no reason a stray cat could not find its way into more populated areas for at least a short amount of time. Another possibility is that predatory cats are learning to live in more urban areas. The theory of urban big cats is something I have been intrigued with for a while and is discussed in my book.

10/19/17

“When I worked at Alcatel in Plano around 2008 or 2009 I saw the ‘black panther".  I was smoking by the picnic table that is about 10 feet from the greenbelt right there at the edge of the parking lot.  I was standing on the building side of the table facing the building - alone.  As I turned around to put out my cigarette, something moved right at the treeline of the greenbelt and as I looked up I saw what I called a "mountain lion" at the time walking away from me and disappearing into the greenbelt.  So basically the thing was about 8-10 feet away from me while I was having that smoke and when I turned around it took off into the woods in towards Independence.  I saw it go 20-30 feet before it disappeared into the woods.  I got a pretty good look at it.  It was definitely male.  The body was about 5 feet long and it was short of stature but very heavily muscled.  It was black, but not true black because it had spots visible underneath the black.  I'd guess it weighed about 120 lbs give or take.  I remember it very clearly as it isn't every day you encounter something like that.  Upon further review, it was definitely a melanistic jaguar.  I don't know what the hell it was doing there, but it was definitely there.  I never saw it again, but you can be sure I paid more attention when near that green belt after that incident.  See below for exact location circled in red.  The location is a ridiculous place to see that animal, but I most definitely saw it there.  Not a bobcat.  Not a couger.  Definitely a melanistic jaguar.”

-       James Stegmaier

TCH Comments: Alcatel-Lucent sits in the heart of Plano just north-northwest of Dallas. Most of the city sits in Collin County with a portion lying in Denton County. The area is urban and heavily populated; however, like Tarrant County to the west, it is a veritable hotbed of black panther sightings. Cougar and bobcat sightings have become much more common in the area as well. The sighting location sits next to a greenbelt that eventually connects to Prairie Creek to the west. This creek meanders about and connects to several tributaries that eventually lead to Lake Lavon to the northeast and Lake Ray Hubbard to the southeast. Interestingly, the Alcatel-Lucent location is only 5-6 miles to the east of the Arbor Hills Nature which has been at the center of several black panther reports over the last few years. It is an odd location for such a large predator to be seen to be sure; however, the urban big cat theory may come into play here as well. Time will tell, hopefully.

10/31/17

“Dear Sir,

 Our 300-acre ranch backs up to the Sabine River east Of Greenville. It is surrounded by large farms with much wild wooded areas. We have seen 2 cougars in the last 5 years , both in the pasture and are sure they were not bobcats. 

 Yesterday, my daughter heard something as she was walking down in the woods between the pecan orchard and the wilder area.. She looked and reported a cougar-like cat - large with a long tail - in a tree. She was near a group of wild hogs (we have hogs, deer, and a big herd of horses). We have had 2 injuries in the past 10 years of 1-2 year olds (horses) with large paw ripping marks down their sides... no other animal but big cat would do this.

 I’d love you to put a game camera up. We were given some smaller ones (2) and you can put them up as well . We can show you the area in a gator. It is pretty remote and wild.

We had wild turkey release a few years ago and saw a hen and a gobbler last year. Had 2 reports of local famers nearby running over a hen with a tractor on the ground on a nest. Too bad. We are a wildlife haven!!!!” 

-       Anonymous

TCH Comments: Greenville sits in Hunt County about 25-30 miles east of Lake Lavon. The property where the sighting took place sits on the Cowleech Fork of the Sabine River. It covers 300 acres, much of it covered in native hardwoods. I took the owner up on her invitation and visited the property a bit over a month ago. I deployed two game cameras and was impressed with how wild and remote the property really was. If there were ever a place where a big cat – oe almost anything else – might be hiding in Texas, this could very well be the spot. After seeing the property and visiting with the family, I am convinced the sighting is credible. I am due to return to the property and check on the cameras in the next 3-4 weeks. I am excited not only by what images my cameras might have captured over the last month or so but by the long-term possibilities of what I might get a glimpse of if I am able to leave the cameras in place for a longer period of time. An update, hopefully with photos, should be upcoming in the next few weeks.

12/30/17

“Shot this video (see below) yesterday in Stephens county Texas. Was trying to figure out what it was and came across your site.

This is at least 40 yards with a crappy iPhone video. 

My guess is cat was 2.5 feet long plus a 2-foot tail. At least 35 lbs. My guess is closer to 45-50. The grass in the video is easy knee high.

Been an avid outdoorsman for 50 years. Looked at tens of thousand of trail cam pics. This was pretty shocking.

I apologize for the coarse language. I didn’t even realize I was talking to myself

Appreciate any thoughts?”

-       Kapt Jack (Insert video)

TCH Comments: The video is interesting to be sure. As is the case most of the time, there is little in the video to provide us with a firm idea of scale. The grass does seem pretty tall. IF we speculate the grass is 18-inches high (approximately knee high for most adults) then the cat could be very large. As I’ve looked more closely at the video, it seems the cat is actually making its way across an area where the grass is low or bent down (the taller grass appears to be in front of and behind the cat); perhaps a trail? You can see too much of the cat’s body for it to actually be in the middle of the tall grass. Too, I find the head of the cat interesting. It is very reminiscent of the head of a domestic/feral. I think there is a distinct possibility that is what we are seeing in the video: a domestic/feral cat. That theory does NOT mean I do not believe the witness’s estimation of size and weight (2-feet high and 35-50 lbs.). This is exactly the sort of cat-like animals being reported in Australia on a regular basis – a continent that has no native species of cat. The prevailing theory there is that feral cats are growing to exceptionally large sizes – some the size of small leopards. If it is occurring in Australia there is no reason to think it could not be happening here as well.

1/6/18

“Found your web page Googling for possible panther sightings in Oklahoma. 

I caught this interesting photo (see below) on my game camera early this morning and thought I'd share it. If you'll look to the left side of the image, there is some kind of slender black animal walking toward the camera, seemingly looking off slightly to the right side of the photo (only one eye reflection visible). It looks like the front left leg is obscured by the front right leg. I've shown it to several friends, and we can only guess what it might be. I get pictures of hogs, deer, bobcats, etc., but haven't ever caught something like this. I'm just west of Seminole, Oklahoma. I put out some tuna out there to hopefully lure it back tonight (lol). Any guess at what it might be? 

Thanks.”

-       Jonathan Beckman

TCH Comments: Thanks for taking the time to send the email and the photo. I've lightened the photo up and zoomed in but it gets pretty blurry and pixelated when I do. I'm really not sure what animal we might be looking at here. It could be a cat of some kind but it is just impossible to say for sure. Your idea of baiting out the spot is a good one. I would also set your camera to take multiple shots when triggered (if this is an option). If you can get multiple shots of a target it makes it easier to determine what it is. Please let me know if you get anything else photographed. Good luck.

1/10/18

“I live in between Devine and Moore, TX. I saw in Aug 2017 what I say is a black panther. It was 8:30 pm at night and I opened the back door, which faces wooded property no one lives on. I was putting out a trash bag until morning when I would place into the trash can. I looked 50-feet to the edge of our property and my eyes met this large black cat with yellow/green eyes. It was much larger than my Texas Heeler dog, it was 3-feet tall and around 85-100 lbs. It has round ears and it slowly turned around and walked away, while I am yelling for my husband. It had a long black tail about 4-feet long. It did not seem to be afraid with it slowly turning around and leaving. My husband did not believe me until someone else saw a black cat, same description going over to a pond in the neighborhood in the evening a week later. Then a week after that my neighbor across the street saw a big black cat, same description in their yard, early hours in am. We moved into a new rural neighborhood that is crawling with wild animals from coyotes, hogs, bobcats, deer, scorpions, roadrunners and snakes and now black panthers. Everyone needs to be careful and aware.”

-       Sara

TCH Comments: The area in question sits right at the point where Frio County and Medina County meet. The region is what would be considered the southernmost part of the Texas Hill Country. This area has been the source of multiple reports of large, long-tailed, black cats in the past. The witness compared the size of the cat seen to that of her Texas Heeler. As the name implies, the Texas Heeler is a working dog found most commonly in the Lone Star State. It is usually a cross between an Australian Shepherd and an Australian Cattle Dog. They are medium-sized dogs that weight between 25-50 lbs. and stand roughly 18-24 inches tall. The witness describes a cat significantly larger than her dog. This fact, along with the long tail described, effectively eliminates the bobcat as a culprit. The yellow/green eyes are a characteristic that I have heard described on multiple occasions. The area is rural and lightly populated. It holds an abundance of rabbit, deer, hogs, and other potential prey-species. While fairly arid, there are rivers running through the area. A big cat sighting here is not surprising; only the color described is a head scratcher.

1/30/18

“I saw your blog just now and would like to add my experience. 

In 1971, late one night my friend and I were riding a motorcycle in rural southeast Dallas County. Crandall, Texas, to be exact. The area we were in was a heavily wooded levy and to the northwest of us there was a large flat plain between Crandall and Seagoville. When we got to the levy we turned onto the lane at the top and we saw what we thought were yellow tail lights on a parked car. My friend who was driving decided to go check out who was parking down there. We got within 15-feet of it before we realized it was not a car, but a black panther. The headlight was beaming straight at it. It was standing still, sideways to us, in the middle of the levy, and seemed to be just watching us come closer. The panther was totally black, with no spots and very big; certainly not a domestic cat. It was about the size of my black lab and he can stand with his paws on my shoulders; I'm 5'7". My friend, whose right leg was in a cast from his knee to the middle of his foot, made me get off the bike so he could turn it around. I stood there, in the dark, scared to death the panther would jump on me before I could get back on. Whatever we saw, it was definitely not a mythical creature.”  

Cathy K.

Dallas, Tx.

TCH Comments: Crandall, Texas actually sits in Kaufman County. Kaufman County gives way to Dallas County west of Crandall (near Seagoville). Based on the description of the area given, it seems more likely that Kaufman County was the actual location of the sighting (both counties have been the source of black panther reports in the past). Regardless, the witness is adamant that what he saw was a cat far too large to be a domestic/feral. If she really did get to within 15-20 feet of the cat, she got a pretty good look and her belief the cat was extremely large should not be discounted.

2/12/18

“I was with a couple of my buddies down in good ole Sutton County. We were calling us up some bobcats but out of the darkness we saw a black figure come into the spot light. Although we only saw it for a couple of seconds, but there is no doubt in our minds it was a black panther.”

-       Anonymous

TCH Comments: Sutton County sits in southwest Texas between the towns of Junction and Ozona and is bisected by Interstate 10. It is big country and sparsely populated. As of the 2010 census only 4,128 people lived in the 1,454 square-mile county. That works out to only about three people per square mile. Mountain lions do inhabit the area and the county is less than 100 miles north of the Mexican border. This proximity to Mexico makes a melanistic jaguar a possibility in this case. I will not be placing this report on my sightings distribution map. I have no reason to doubt the witness but the fact that it was dark and there is little detail as to how far away the cat was, how powerful a spot light was being used, etc. leaves too much room for misidentification. 

2/14/18

“Was afraid to tell anybody what I saw close to Coldspring, TX. I’m 81 years old, very active, and don't take any kind of drugs. I reported it to the game warden. He thinks I'm seeing things. I saw it in the middle of the day 5 miles from Coldspring about 11:00 p.m. I saw a large cat about 30 to 50 pounds; looked charcoal in color and had a long bushy tail. It crossed the road in front of me about 300 feet away. I don't drink but fixing too start.”

-       Anonymous

TCH Comments: Coldspring is in east Texas and abuts the Sam Houston National Forest. It is an area from which black panther reports have come in the past. Even so, I will be leaving this report off my sightings distribution map. The witness claims to have seen the cat in “the middle of the day” but later says the time was “11:00 p.m.” This could be a simple typo but the discrepancy as written is too big to ignore.

2/16/18

“On February 14, 2018, around 1 pm my sister and I went to the Japanese Garden by the San Antonio Zoo. We walked around the garden and then started walking down a path. Moments later ahead of us on this path a large, muscular, shiny, jet black panther crossed our path. His paws were large and his tail was long.  He was about 2'x 4' in size. He was slowly walking. He was looking in the opposite direction of us so we did not get to see his eyes.  Concerned for our safety, we immediately started walking back toward the restaurant. We went into the Tea House, and we told a woman who was working there what happened. She told us that this is the third time in one year that someone reported seeing something similar. I only wish now that we would have stood still and took a picture so we could identify what it was. It's heavy, strong, muscular body resembled a black jaguar or panther, and it's graceful, slow movement, rules out other less graceful creatures.”

-       Michelle Schlenker

TCH Comments: As odd as this location seems to be, I cannot ignore it. I have now had multiple witnesses claim to have seen large black cats in the park area in the immediate vicinity of the San Antonio Zoo. I do not feel that whatever is being seen is some sort of escapee from the zoo (that assumption seems intellectually lazy, in my opinion). That being said, I do not know what a cat 2 feet-high and 4 feet-long would be doing in this area. Could the zoo be involved in another way? Could some sort of cat be attracted to the scents emanating from the animals exhibited there? The zoo is in a heavily populated and urban area but there are a series of parks and golf courses (San Antonio Country Club, Olmos Park, the Quarry Golf Course) with creeks and greenbelts that extend back to the north all the way to the San Antonio International Airport. Just north and east of the airport another series of parks (McAllister Park, Lorrence Park, and Mud creek Park) create a green belt that, while not quite contiguous, reach almost to the outer loop (1604) of the city. Things get very wild and lonesome pretty quick once north and west of the outer loop. Admittedly, it is a stretch to think that a large predator would come this far into a major metropolitan area, but there is some evidence that suggests leopards in India are doing this very thing. Not only are they surviving in cities, they are thriving there. Could it be happening here, too?

2/19/18

“I spooked a jaguar on a pronghorn kill Friday, 2/16/2018, morning a little after daybreak. It ran right back out in front of me so I had a good view of it for 4-6 seconds. I was traveling east and was about 5 miles west of Gail Texas.”

-       Anonymous

TCH Comments: This would really be something if it could be confirmed. Gail sits in Borden County south of Lubbock in some pretty lonesome country. The occasional cougar is seen in this area but a jaguar would be huge news. If possible, I would like this witness to contact me. I have some additional questions I would like to ask.

3/4/18

“I SAW a FULL GROWN LION 03/03/2018 (MOUNTAIN LION) SOUTH-EAST OF LAKE RAY ROBERTS ON A POWER LINE CLEARING. HE WAS A REALLY BIG CAT. I WOULD NOT WANT MY CHILDREN OR LIVING STOCK IN THERE! I HAVE SEEN CAT BEFORE.”

-       Anonymous

TCH Comments: Lake Ray Roberts is located north of Dallas/Fort Worth and not too far south of the Red River which forms a large part of the Texas/Oklahoma border. I am not surprised at all to hear of a mountain lion in this area. I will not include this sighting on my distribution map as it was a tawny lion that was spotted but felt it was important to point out that large cats are being seen in the area. This could provide clues as to the identity of the black panthers of Texas.

3/21/18

“I live in the Lindale (Red Springs area) of East Texas. We definitely have large cats around here. I have seen a brown one 3 times in the last few years. I would guess it weighs about 45 lbs. and is almost 3' tall. It is brown with spots (not like a leopard but similar). I believe it attacked and killed a Shetland pony on my property. If I had one word to sum up the entire ordeal it would be ‘evil.’ I am not trying to go into gory details. The reason I am posting this is because I want to know if anyone else has had something like this happen. The part that I can’t seem to forget about is the fact that she didn't seem to have any blood loss with the deep wounds on her neck and face. There was no blood on the ground or in the pasture she was in. Anywhere. Please feel free to contact me if you have any idea what could have happened to my little pony. I didn't go into much detail because it is gory and hard to relive.”

-       Holly Long

TCH Comments:. Lindale is in east Texas just to the north of Tyler. As is the case in most of the eastern portion of the state, the area bordering Lindale is wooded, has plenty of water resources, and is a wildlife haven. Reports of big cats of different sizes and color have come from this area in the past. The description of a brown cat with spotted markings standing 3-feet high is telling. On a side note, we all need to try to keep in mind that predators take other animals. It is how they survive. They are not evil. They are just doing what they were made to do. As humans continue to encroach on their habitat, it is an unfortunate certainty that incidents like the one described by Holly will occur. The lack of blood can most likely be explained by settling. Once blood pressure is lost, blood stops flowing. It will settle to the ground side of the carcass and coagulate there inside the body. It is not unusual to see a kill without much blood on the ground.

4/1/18

“Saturday Sept 2, 2017, 6:54pm about 4 miles north west of Bertram, Tx, on Ranch Road 1174, a Jaguarundi ran across the road in front of me. It stopped for a couple of seconds before it squeezed under the fence. There was no mistaking that it was a jaguarondi. Too big to be a domestic cat, too small to be a mountain lion, and it was a dark chocolate brown or black, and that long thick tail. When it stopped, I got a good look at its face, and there is no question it was a jaguarundi. On Monday Aug 21, 2017 at 7:30 pm I had a mountain lion cross the road in front of me on Ranch Road 963 about 6 miles north east of Burnet, Texas. Maybe about 70-80 pounds, normal light tan color. In both of these cases, they were crossing the road at the top of a ridge that was wooded on both sides of the road, and I was just cresting the hill in my car, so I must have surprised them as I came over the hill. The mountain lion jumped the fence, and the jaguarundi squeezed under the fence. I reported to the TPWD Wildlife biologists in my area, but they were not interested in my sightings.”

-       Anonymous

TCH Comments: I am not surprised by the mountain lion sighting. Cougars have been reported on a semi-regular basis in the Texas Hill Country over the last few years. The jaguarondi sighting, however, would be big news as the Burnet area is far north of the accepted range of the species. The sighting area is just north of a pretty substantial protected area called the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. Formed in 1992, the refuge was intended to preserve the endangered golden-cheeked warbler and black-capped vireo and to provide habitat for numerous other Hill Country wildlife species. Only 3,000 of the refuge’s 27,500 acres are open to the public. That being the case, there is plenty of room for a species of predatory cat to roam.

4/2/18

“Hi there – I saw your blog and wanted to report a sighting from this past weekend.   My dogs are fenced and were going crazy early (4:30-5:00am) on Friday morning (3/30/2018).  When my husband went out on the back porch to check on them he saw 2 black panthers on the immediate outside of our iron fence.  When they saw him, they ran but they certainly were not afraid of our barking dogs.

They were definitely black, with long tails.  They were as big or a bit bigger than my dogs who are both 85-90 pounds.

We are at the edge of Rockwall county and Collin County on highway 205.

3 or so years ago one ran in front of my car on 205 and crossed into the bottoms between Lake Lavon and Lake Ray Hubbard.  I called the Corp of Engineers to tell them what I saw because I knew it was not a bobcat.  They told me they knew of a black panther in that area at the time because they had seen paw prints.

About a year ago a mountain lion jumped out of one of our trees in our yard and killed a rabbit while we were on the back porch watching the whole thing.

I feel so sad for these animals with developments running them out of their territories.  They really haven nowhere to go.

-       Megan May

TCH Comments: The Collin County/Lake Ray Hubbard area continues to be the source of numerous black panther reports. The area of this sighting is northeast of Dallas. While urban sprawl has swallowed up many areas that used to be very rural, this is the region where the “city” ends and the “country” begins. I have a couple of game cameras up not too far to the east of this sighting location (outside of Greenville).

4/9/18

“My husband works as a Police Officer in New Summerfield, Texas. He was headed down 110 and saw 2 big black cats. He said they were bigger than a dog and they ran across the street and disappeared into the woods. This was about a week ago.”

-       Terry Land 

TCH Comments: New Summerfield sits in Cherokee County south of Tyler (not to be confused with Summerfield, Texas in the Panhandle). As mentioned previously, the greater Tyler area has been the origin of many black panther – and other big cat – reports. I am going to hold off on adding this sighting to my distribution map as it is second-hand in nature. I have no reason to doubt Terry but would like to hear from her husband as he is the actual witness before adding the sighting to the map.

I will be updating my black panther sightings distribution map within the next day or two. I have now amassed over 150 total sightings of large, black, panther-like animals that I feel are credible.

In addition, I will be checking on my game cameras outside of Greenville, Texas within the next month. These cameras are in an absolutely amazing area along the banks of the Sabine River. I have high hopes that they will capture something of interest over time.

Please continue to email sighting reports to me at the following address: Texascryptidhunter@yahoo.com. It is very important that you email if you are hoping to hear back from me. I cannot reply directly to you if you leave a report as a comment on another post.

If you would like to read more about the black panther phenomenon, please pick up a copy of my book, Shadow Cats: The Black Panthers of North America. It is available on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble sites. I would very much appreciate it.

New Study Area in Hunt County, Texas

After months of working on and finishing up my book, then arranging various types of publicity to support the release (radio and podcast interviews, speaking engagements, etc.), I was thrilled to actually get out in the field yesterday.

A while back, a reader of the blog and Facebook page contacted me with a black panther sighting report. The family owns approximately 300 acres of hardwood bottomland along the Sabine River in Hunt County northeast of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The area is rich in food and water resources. Not only does the property sit along the river, it features a large tributary creek that winds through the land before emptying into the larger Sabine. Feral hogs, white-tail deer, foxes, coyotes and various other possible prey species are present in abundance. The property provided an absolutely perfect habitat where a large cat could remain virtually undetected. The property was so large that it presented a problem for me. I have only two game cameras available at this time and the entire area looked so promising it was difficult to pick spots for them. I finally chose a spot where wildlife was clearly crossing the creek and passing through a break in the brush into a more open area on the other side. It was a natural funnel and I expect to get a lot of photos from the camera posted at this spot. Hopefully, one will be of the cat I seek. The second camera was placed on a tree that stood at the intersection of three different game trails. The trails formed a “Y” and the tree that I posted the camera on was in the middle of the v-shape at the top of the “Y.” The trails obviously are heavily traveled – mostly by hogs, no doubt – and this camera should provide a lot of photos.

The landowner and her family could not have been more hospitable. They are good folks who love and know their wildlife. They told me that they have seen two mountain lions on the property in the last 5-6 years and that what was seen a few months ago was very different. It was very large, had a very long tail, and was solid black. The family member who saw the cat initially spotted it about 10-feet up in a tree. Upon being seen the cat leapt down and ran toward the Sabine. The family member got a good look at it and is sure it was no cougar. The family feels a real sense of relief that the cat chose to run away and that no confrontation took place. They just want to know what prowls their property and I hope to be able to provide some answers.

I will be refreshing the cameras – and hopefully adding more – in 5-6 weeks. Keep your fingers crossed.