Black Panther in NY

When I was a little boy, around 11-12, I had an experience in upper New York state, outside of Syracuse. I lived in Tennessee, but we were visiting my great-grandma and her friends there. This was around 1982.

I want to know about what I saw and I hope people here can help me.

She had a pond that had lots of big frogs. There was a yard to the right and woods all around it. I always liked sneeking up and catching frogs. Sometimes I could catch one with my hands. Sometimes they would jump.

So, it was around daybreak and the sun was setting. I was alone at the pond trying to catch frogs, when I notice something walking across the lawn to the right. I saw it first and I stood up to look at it. It was a black panther. When I stood up, it noticed me and stopped walking and just stared at me. We both stared at each other for a few seconds and then my "fight or flight" instinct took over and I ran the fastest I could to the house.

I always told that story to people. I made a joke saying that if my 40 time was clocked at that time, I would be in the NFL...lol.

Move ahead 20 years and I am just surfing the internet and see some story about a black panther sighting in NY. The experts say that they don't exist. I was like, huh? The experts said that there are no black panthers in NY.

I have to strongly disagree. I saw one and at 11-12 yrs old, I would know the difference between a cat (like the expert was trying to say) and a black panther.

Seriously, who runs from a cat? I know what I saw.

Can anyone here help about this? I know what I saw, but the experts say I am crazy.

There are stories of large black cats all over the world where none should be and even some people have gotten video evidence of them

a reply to: gator2001

So, it was around daybreak and the sun was setting.

There may be cultural differences but what does this line mean to you?

I find it confusing.

P

I have seen them in Texas. Three times in my life. I believe what I saw was a melanistic puma. It is still debated whether or not they even exist. There is no recorded specimen. I know without doubt that they do exist. Many of the locals have seen them. There are rare examples of black jaguars in the region but the cat I saw was not a jaguar.

originally posted by: pheonix358
a reply to: gator2001

So, it was around daybreak and the sun was setting.

There may be cultural differences but what does this line mean to you?

I find it confusing.



P

i was wondering that to. how does the sun set at day break?

There are plenty of people who own wildcats whether legally or not. One may have gotten loose.

I just posted about this last week,
in a thread about escaped exotic animals.
I live in north central PA.
Not all that far from the NY border.

The Game Commission has been reassuring people for years,
that there are no cougars in PA!
In spite of many sightings over the years!

Penn State Nittany Lions! Duh!
Just because they were supposedly all killed off in the 1880's,
doesn't make it so!!!

My neighbor was walking in the woods on a dirt road a few years ago.
A black panther jumped across the road in front of him,
from bank to bank! He never heard it coming!

So yeah, they can nay say all they want!
It's probably a good thing that they do.
Or all the loonies would be out trying to shoot them,
to make a name for themselves!!!
WOQ

I lived in North Jersey and Pennsylvania for a total of 24 years. I have seen 2 mountain lions in Pennsylvania one in the early 90's in Carbon county and another in Pike county in 2004. In the late 70's my mom and dad saw one in the pine barrens near Lakehurst.

gator2001, Thanks for your report. My family was on a winter trip to visit relatives in a suburban unincorporated part of Onondaga County and had a similar experience. Young children playing outside in a neighborhood that had very few young people and no outdoor pets. Winter of 1981, mid day, heavy solid cloud cover, ground snow cover ten consecutive days. Daytime sighting of common wild animals such as deer, occasional but not remarkable. Sighting of big black cats, reported in the local news, a couple each winter every year for decades. My family was living a long way away and would not have been exposed to the local legend which was always reported with a smile that suggested disbelief as with UFO stories.

More than two decades later the people who first made the report stand by their story. I believe them and so I have good reason to believe your story also. Thanks again for sharing.

Seriously, who runs from a cat? I know what I saw.

Can anyone here help about this? I know what I saw, but the experts say I am crazy.

I've seen a mountain lion with a greyish black coat... same with whitetail deer with dark brown to black.

a reply to: imitator

I have also seen a whitetail with a lot of black in its coat. The underside was cream colored, but the rest was black.

I wouldn't be surprised. Big cats are known to occasionally roam vast distances, alone, away from where they were brought up. There was a cool documentary called 'Broken Tail' about a cat in India that roamed vast distances away from it's home through many residential areas. People were surprised to see a big cat walking down the street in their neighborhood. His life ended when he was hit by a train while crossing the tracks.

There is a population of panthers in Florida and the southeastern US, that roam interstate through paths they have made for them. They are trying to increase their population and want the different panther populations to interbreed.

I would not be surprised if some of those panthers were born black and roamed really far undetected.

I have a black dog...a mutt...about 50 lbs. I regularly bring her to the local bar. The lighting is dim. Many times I have seen people startled when they realize a dog is sitting right by their feet. I have been in the woods and couldn't find her, only to realize she was right at my side the whole time. Her name is Shady, but I often call her ninja dog. If a domestic canine can evade detection, it is reasonable to understand that a black cat would be even more visually elusive.

The nearest small town has a football team called the Danbury Panthers.
www.bcsportsnews.com...

Black Panthers are probably in most states...Oh wait I must be thinking about the other Black Panthers.

a reply to: gator2001

I live in NE Missouri and when I was about 15 I was out riding my bicycle. My family has 80 acres in the heart of corn/cow/bean country, so it's pretty deserted.

And I'll swear to whatever you want, but I saw a full grown, bull MOOSE.

I usually rode the gravel roads and would go under the small bridges that crossed creek beds. So I'm under one of these small bridges piling up chunks of red granite, tree limbs and saplings to make an impromptu dam that I had been building to create a deeper fishing hole when about 50 feet downstream I hear some cracking of branches.

And out lumbers this freaking moose!

That's the story. I stood there, piece of stone in hand and mouth agape as he waded across the stream and up the bank. I never saw him again.