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.
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