Louisiana "Black Panther"?

I am from NW Louisiana where I hunted and trapped as a young man.

Back in 1983 while hunting I came across a black panther. It was about the size of a german shepard with a very long tail as I recall. I was no more than 15 or 20 yards from it when we both came out on dirt road at the same time......So I had a very clear view of it.....

I was not the only one to see these beautiful cats back then............Many stories were told from those who were trappers.......

I have also bumped into a wolf as well............No it was not a coyote,

I have no doubt that these cats could be around the N.O. area due to its terran.........

These black panthers are real. Even all the wayout here in northen california. There was one, probaly still is one, at my previous house. I saw it several times. Never did take a pic because I never had a camera. The cat was much big bigger than the neighbors dog that use to roam the very same field that I use to see that panther in. The thought of that thing scared the hell out of me because I use to fish in a pond by the field that prowled in. I think it might of had cubs because I did see a smaller black cat from time to time. I wonder if If I should ask my old neighbors if I can look around so I can get a pic of it, if its still there.

Originally posted by pierregustavetoutant

Now, I realize it is unlikely for an animal this size to go unnoticed by science, but I also think that anyone over the age of 5, who is not mentally deficient, can tell the difference between a large housecat and a big cat.

We have several different kinds of exotic cats living in the U.K. Smaller cats used as ratters on the old sailing ships have colonised areas around the old ports. Escapees of various types live in many parts of the country. It's possible the native lynx was never fully exterminated, there are certainly escaped lynx and bobcats. Plenty of escaped pumas, rarely seen. The big mystery is the number of black leopards. Far more than could be accounted for by escapees. I say escapees but many cats have been released deliberately for various reasons.

The black leopard mystery in the U.K. could be explained by saying Romans had plenty of them for the gladiatorial games. The capture methods were very effective, some parts of what was the Roman Empire have never regained the wildlife trapped out by the Romans. Black leopards were extremely valuable, there are records of people being ordered to supply a set number of black leopards for the games. It's possible a breeding program was attempted in Britain. Some escapes would be inevitable. A breeding population of steadily increasing numbers till the present day could neatly explain their presence. Similar sightings in Australia and the States are more difficult to explain.

Most 'authorities' will deny or play down the issue to avoid being asked to take action. These animals are incredibly tough. A local man wrote off his car hitting a black leopard head on. The cat left the scene of the accident. When he spoke to the local police they just said, "We get lots of reports of black leopards crossing the road just there. You probably hit one." He had tentatively reported it as hitting a large dark animal. A farmer ran one over in a four wheel drive. He called the police and when they arrived they saw it leave the area. A boy we know reported a close encounter with a black leopard and the police just said, "Oh, we get lots of reports like that." He was offended and thought they weren't taking him seriously. I pointed out they simply made a true statement. Lots of people do report these sightings. There's nothing that can be done. Using high powered rifles in an area with a high population density isn't sensible. Injuring a cat will create a dangerous situation. British police have had black leopards in their sights then not taken the shot because they can't be sure of a kill. I've heard of black leopards being shot with a shotgun and carrying on as if nothing has happened. I've heard a second hand account of a man lamping foxes who shot a sitting cat in the chest at close range with a .22. It licked the wound, took a couple of bounds away from him then turned and sat down to watch him again. He became very scared at this point.

I've seen several black leopards and one puma in the U.K. I've heard many first hand accounts.

Now for the excuse that it's a trick of perspective and they're just ordinary house cats. Where are all the reports of giant squirrels, giant foxes, giant pigeons??? Why is it nearly always a big black cat with a long tail???

And to dismiss the theory that in the U.K. these sightings followed the tightening up of statutes relating to dangerous pets in 1976. These sightings go back through history. When a friend who was with me when we had a fairly close encounter spoke to his father, his father said "I've seen plenty of them, some close enough to touch." His father used to work on the railway and regularly walked home along the railway line at night long before '76. When this friend spoke to his cousin who's a postman the cousin told him he had seen four on separate occasions but never told anyone. I asked a retired train driver if he'd ever seen one and he said "Yes. But I never told the other train drivers. If someone wanted to cause trouble for you they'd just have to say you were prone to imagining things. That's the sort of thing that gets you sacked as a train driver."

So you see this is a worldwide phenomena. You'll find well documented sightings and more from Australia.

I'll leave you with the most bizarre sighting a local expert had reported to him. A black big cat, a brown big cat and a white big cat wearing a collar all walking in line.

Originally posted by OneEleven

Like i said, when you've seen it with your own eyes, what the experts and officials think mean absolutely nothing....In fact, knowing what i know and having seen what i've seen, every time they speak they just sound ridiculous....

If you don't mind I'm going to have this inscribed on my tombstone.

I work security at Volkwagen in Chattanooga, TN and some of our officers have reported seeing large black cats along the fenceline where they just cleared out countless acres. I wouldn't doubt if there were some large Panthers or something similar around here too.

They are large black cats in the South. I spend alot of time in the woods hunting game for food. Many times I have heard the growl and the screams of these cats. Panthers are a breed of the cougar, if I am not mistaken. These things are very territorial to other animals. Will kill livestock, small and large domestic pets. I have seen only one though. A HUGE cat crossed a clearing I was deer hunting. It was about three foot high and five foot long. Weighed about a hundred pounds. It amazed me at first but then again I have seen far more weird stuff in my life. By the way I live in East Mississippi.