Mystery Of Big Black Cat Deepens In NY Suburb

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Number Of Black Cat Sightings On The Rise Near State Park

'Suspicious Animal Sightings' Signs Posted Around Rockland County


Halloween is long gone. So what's up with the black cat sightings near New York's Tallman Mountain State Park?
Signs posted around the Rockland County park warn the public about "Suspicious Animal Sightings."

Other sightings were reported in the hamlet of Palisades. One was in a driveway. Two were in a backyard.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation says wild cat sightings often turn out to be a large dog, coyote or bobcat.

Orangetown police are increasing patrols. State park police have installed cameras to snap pictures of passing animals.

These are described as sleek, long-tailed, black felines. They're larger than mid-size dogs.

No regional zoos, veterinarians or residents have reported a missing large cat.

Links to more information and a video report can be found at this link: Cat


[edit on 2-4-2009 by tsrk30]

Simple enough to find out. Just leave out some Whiskas and a real big ball of string. Here kitty kitty. -then you get mauled- Bad kitty.

[edit on 2-4-2009 by _DISAVOWED_]

Wouldnt suprise me. With humans depletig woods and forests, animals are kinda forced to live closer to us.I live near NY, im in CT. When i was 19, me and a friend went to Danbury, CT, jsut bordering NY..at ngihttime, we broke into the back woods of a minimal penatantry(the same prison Liona Helmsley was in) Candlewood lake, also called BEar mountain. It was like 11 pm, and snow up to our knees. MY frined had warned us, thier might be bears wandering around, so keep yuor eyes n ears open. This was his old neighborhood as a kid.
When i was 18, north in my city, is hsuoes but also wooded and bordering Pound Ridge NY. I used to go all the time, to Pound ridge reservation. Well, weeks earlier, thier was a tiger that got loose, and was running around up thier! One night, i was thier, and looked across the street, minimal streetlights, and as car passed, inbetween the trees, ide say i was good 150 feet at least...i saw 2 glosy yellow/orange eyes glare at me...i paused for a moment not sure then remembered the news article about a tiger loose up around that area! So naturally i slwoly walked back to my car nearby, and left.
I guess big cats, CAN end up in suburban areas afterall! I like to think it wa the tiger, but of course i wasnt gunang et close enough to confirm that.

I've actually seen one of those giant felines. I have no idea what they are. Cougars, maybe some variation of the housecat?

According to what the video says, it was (supposedly) a black panther.

And as black panthers do not exist in the wild in North America they think someone let it loose for some reason, probably because they could not handle it anymore.

But the paw print they show does not really look like a cat's paw print.

I don't know if cougars have the same colour variation as panthers or jaguars they make them black, but I guess it could be possible such a change in colour in a cougar.

Or, as happens in most cases, it was something completely different.

Very interesting. A while ago I read about similar sightings in the UK, and recently in Poland, where I live. Multiple sightings during the last few weeks and December 2008, mostly in the southern areas of the country. The cat seemed to travel a distance of over 30 kilometers during one night, just to show up in a different city.

Here is a youtube video shot in Poland. Warning - shaky footage and lame music



Ofcourse, no zoos reported loosing a cat, no proof of smuggling (and why smuggle a big adult cat anyway?).

reply to post by ArMaP



Excuse me, but black panthers (pumas, mountain lions) most certainly do exist in the wild of North America.


black panthers

[edit on 5-4-2009 by traderjack]

reply to post by traderjack


That link says that there are no "authenticated cases" of black cougars, and, as far as I know, there are no jaguars (only the cars ) or panthers in North America.