Florida: Brindle Cat from the Past

From 15 years ago, a story of a "brindled" cat about the size of a dog from the Lake Wales region. (News source.)

Feline Sighting

Two women in New York reported seeing a large animal they thought was a cougar: "very muscular and a grayish color with short hair and estimated its weight between 100 and 120 pounds by comparing it to her 90-pound Rottweiler." (News source.)

Oversized Black Jaguar?

In the Explorer's Club article I just posted, I note the statement:

"It’s no use returning from a stroll through the jungle and saying you have seen a huge black jaguar twice the size of other jaguars – as a Catholic missionary working in Amazonian Peru did recently – unless you have some physical evidence."

Now, I'm wondering where this was reported, if anywhere, as I don't recall seeing it before. (And, of course, am wondering if there's any connection to Hocking's mystery cats from the same region.) If someone knows the original source, please forward or comment here.

Feline Reports

Police officers in a Minneapolis, Minnesota, suburb captured a cougar on their dashboard camera, confirmed by DNR. (News source.)

A New Zealand man is trying to trap the elusive Canterbury black panther. (News source.)

Scotland Big Cat Research

A profile here on mystery cat researchers in Scotland.

More on Belgian Black Panther

Another sighting near Malmedy.

Australian "Panther"

An alpaca farmer lost a female and her young when they were attacked by an unknown animal. (News source.)

Australian Panther-Like Creature

Another panther-like animal has been reported from near Logan, Australia. (News source.)

Mystery Felines

A black panther is roaming Luxembourg. (News source.)

A Wisconsin columnist writes about a 1949 lion flap. (News source.)

Illinois: Big Black "Cougar"

A jogger in Wheaton, IL, says she saw a dark-colored feline that was larger than her 60-lb dog. (News source, and here.)

Feline Recaps

Notes on the Florida panther that traveled to Georgia before it was shot last year here, and here.

Notes on "black panther" sightings in California here, with photographs of a dark bobcat here.

Notes on Australian "coupan" sightings here.

Feline Reports

Black panther sightings in North Carolina.

Nothing new on the Georgia maned lion sightings, but they're still looking.

And, wampus cat folklore.

Palisades 'Panther' Hunt

Rockland County, New York, residents are donating money for cameras, traps, and the services of a tracker to catch the large felines that have been reported there. (News source.)

NC Panther Stories

Another article on big black cats in North Carolina, here.

Odd Felines

A black leopard has been spotted in India's Sindhudurg district, the first time since 1942. (News source.)

A North Carolina farmer says he saw a female lion. (News source.)

Even after a third sighting, Georgia officials have no actual evidence of a big cat. (News source.)

Georgia: Another Lion Sighting

Another sighting of a lion has been reported near the Hall-Lumpkin County line. (News source.)

Georgia: "Lion" Sighting

Not sure if this indicates a maned lion, or a mountain lion.

"The Hall County Sheriff's Office responded to Dahlonega Highway near the Lumpkin County line Tuesday morning after receiving a call from a motorist who said he had seen a lion on the shoulder of the road." (News source.)

Probably a maned cat, as deputies checked with a local game preserve. No sign of the cat was found.

Cougar News

Virginia officials say the Wight game cam images are not of a cougar. They say they visited the site, and estimates show the cat was too small. (They'd probably be more convincing if they actually published the data and methodology. Seriously, if you are presented with what isn't the typical bobcat photo, and this isn't a bobcat, put a little more effort into it and present the results professionally. Independent cougar researchers would find it easier to back up game officials this way.) (News source.)

Wisconsin state biologists say that tracks found of an alleged cougar probably are cougar. (News source.)

New Yorker: Palisades Panthers

An article in the New Yorker on the black cat sightings near Palisades, New Jersey.

Ohio Cougar Sightings

More sightings of big brown felines in Brown County, Ohio. (News source.)

Big Black Cat

Another sighting of a large black feline in Australia, near Glenorie, NSW. (News source.)

Australian Big Cat Website

A new website has been started on big cat sightings in Victoria, Australia.

Australia/New Zealand

A "lynx-sized mountain lion" (i.e., too small to be an actual mountain lion) was photographed in the Lindis Pass, New Zealand. Photograph has no good detail, subject is too far away, and it may just be a large feral cat. (News source.)

A hoax photo of a "giant snake" is circulating in the Doomadgee region of Australia. (News source.)

A Yowie sighting has been reported from the area near "The Three Sisters," in Australia. (News source.)

Mississippi: Another Cougar Sighting?

Details here from another alleged Natchez cougar sighting.

More California Black Panthers

An article in the SF Examiner on black panther sightings.

Illinois: "Black Panther"

A black feline is reported from Elgin, Illinois. (News source.)

"Black Panther" Sightings

New York's Palisades area has sightings of two "black panthers." (News source.)

Indiana DNR doesn't think that a reported "black panther" could actually survive long without being seen more often. (News source.) This may be related, coming from a Chicago area newspaper.

Arizona: "Black Panther"

The story sounds a bit imaginative, and details don't suggest a very large cat, but someone records their sighting of a "black panther" here.

Feline News

WI DNR confirms the presence of a mountain lion in that state. They're attempting to capture and tag it, without success so far. (News source.)

An Alabama outdoors columnist opines on the presence of "long-tail cats" in that state.

A Tucson newspaper blog notes an old story of a "black panther" or perhaps a jaguar killing dogs back in the 1970s.

Sri Lanka has a melanistic leopard ("black panther") carcass; not sure why they say it "might be a new species." Doesn't sound like there's any basis for that from the description and history of similar reports on the island. (It appears that some news sources are incorrectly identifying this feline as a black tiger.)

Delaware Cougar Sightings

More big cat reports from Delaware.

Feline News

Reports of a "black panther" by two different witnesses caused an Oconee County, GA, elementary school's officials to delay school recess. (News source.)

Arizona Game and Fish officials captured and released a jaguar southwest of Tucson, fitting it with a satellite tracking collar. (News source.)

Visitors to a Naples, FL, swamp sanctuary were able to photograph a young Florida panther stalking a deer. (News source.)

Big Cats in UK

A BBC news article here on a "big cat" print.

Big Cats in UK

A BBC news article here on a "big cat" print.

Australia: Big Cat Track?

An Australian man made plaster casts of tracks that he believes were made by a large feline. (News source.)

More Australian Cat Stories

Tracks found in Glenwood, Australia, have been found; the discoverer isn't sure if they're canine or feline. Claw marks are present, but he thinks they appear retractile. (News source.)

Australia: Feline "Breeding Colony"

The Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains region in Australia might have a "breeding colony" of introduced big cats, according to some investigators. (News source.)

UK: Big Cat Sightings Continue

Experienced Forestry Commission rangers in the UK have seen what they believe are large felines. (News source.)

Cat Sightings

Strange felines recorded in North Carolina and Virginia here.

UK: Black Feline

A large black cat has been reported from Horeb and vicinity in the Teifi valley. (News source.)

More Mississippi "Cougar"

Another "cougar" sighting from Natchez, MS. Still no photos. (News source.)

Black Cat in Arkansas

An Arkansas couple think there's a "black panther" in the neighborhood; a Game and Fish officer saw the animal, and says it's a house cat. A police officer saw the cat and says he thinks its as big as a rottweiler. Images and video were taken of the cat, but are not posted online, as far as I can see. (News source.)

Puerto Rico: Black Panther?

Sightings of a "black panther" and livestock kills around San Juan, PR, have triggered hunts and traps set for the animal. (News source.)

Lots of Felines in the News

Big black "feline" sightings continue in Australia. (News source.)

Mountain lion sightings alleged in Virginia, North Carolina, and Ohio (see image). [I tracked sightings of a probable released cougar in that same area of Ohio, Warren County, a number of years ago. Not a great area for an actual population, though there is farmland game.]

A mountain lion killed in Louisiana is being tested genetically to see if it is a Texas wanderer.

A black feline is reported from New York.

A tiger escaped from a West Virginia exotic game farm was killed after it tried to ambush its owner in the woods. (News source.)

Cougar Controversy in Minnesota

The sighting of two "cougars" eating from their downed deer by a pair of hunters is being denied by MN DNR. They don't see any evidence of predation beyond some holes in the throat. (News source.)

Big Cat Sightings

Sightings of a cougar from the Camden area of SW Arkansas... (News source.)

A feline sighting reported in the Fenland region of the UK... (News source.)

Big (House)Cat

After sightings of a "lion" in Virginia, officers responded to a call from a woman who saw an unknown animal sleeping in her backyard. Turned out to be a big housecat. (News source)

Feline Sightings

A big black cat is reported from Milford, MI. (News source.)

A cougar is taped on a surveillance camera in Manitoba (and it's an actual cougar, not a big housecat, for once). (News source.)

More Alleged Mountain Lions

Shirley, Massachusetts, has had some mountain lion sightings. (News source.)

Sightings (noted here and here) in Mississippi continue.

Feline Bonanza

Feline sightings from all over:

Two Minnesota hunters say they found a two cougars feeding on the doe they tracked down after shooting. (News source.)

A big feline ("mountain lion") was reported in the Richmond, Virginia, area. (News source.)

Black panther sightings in California here.

A "panther" was reported from near Canton, Ohio. (News source.)

A Mississippi couple reported seeing a cougar cross the road in front of them. (News source.)

Another VA Cougar Sighting

Another mountain lion sighting comes from Chesterfield, Virginia. (News source.)

Not a Circus Panther

Stories of black panthers had Canadian officials checking local circuses for missing felines. (News source.)

Big Cat Sightings

A retired teacher in Lambton Co., Ontario, thinks he has cast the prints of a cougar. (News source.)

A UK teen saw a big black cat and thinks she has also found a track. (News source.)

And, more on the Lancaster Co., PA, "cougar." (News source.)

New York Cougar Sighting

Witnesses report seeing a mountain lion in the Southold, NY, area. (News source.)

Canadian Black Feline Sightings

Black "panther" sightings here from Newfoundland, and a sighting here in Ontario.

Scot Big Cat Sighting

A large feline was reported from Scotland by dogwalkers. (News source.)

OH Cougar Sighting

A hunter and his son saw a large feline they think was a mountain lion... (News source.)

Georgia: Black Feline Sighting

A large black cat was reported in Columbia County, Georgia. (News source.)

Australian Big Cats

More news from Australia on large felines being sighted. (News source.)

Feline News

The NSW (Australia) premier wants to investigate the ongoing big cat sightings there. (News source.)

Blackstone, Virginia, and its newspaper, the Courier-Record, are investigating sightings of the eastern cougar. (News source.)

A loose tiger is one of the concerns in Galveston County, post-Hurricane Ike. (News source.)

Australian Big Cat vs Sheep?

Dead sheep are creating more rumors of big cats. (News source.)

Tijuana Lion

A big cat ("African" lion) was reported from Tijuana, near La Presa Dam. (News source.)

UK Gray Panther

From the news:

"Will Cattrell was driving in the early hours of Sunday morning when he spotted the big cat.
"He was driving away from Uppingham towards Wardley Hill and had just passed the two turnings for Belton-in-Rutland when his headlights caught the animal's trolling off the road.
"Will, of Leicester Road in Uppingham, said: I didn't see its head but the body was totally visible and it was definitely a large wild cat with ash grey fur like a puma.
"'I had a clear view of this, the muscles in the rear legs and the swagger that large cats have. The body and the colour leave me in no doubt whatsoever that my description is precise, and I am a country lad so I know what animals are what.'"

Ontario: Black Feline

Another case of a black feline on an Ontario farm: (News source.)

"But as soon as she crossed the road to the hobby farm, west of Campbellville, she knew something was up. It was Saturday, Aug. 16 at about 10 a.m., and the animals -- goats and horses -- that normally move about freely weren't in their usual places." ...
"It was then that she saw a large feline she estimated to weigh about 100 pounds.
"'Right away, I thought it was a panther because it was black, large and slinking toward the barn,' Rogers said. 'It looked right at me and I looked at it, not believing what I was seeing.'"

UK: Paw Print?

From the news:

"Heather Ivers, pictured, found the prints after her dog 'went ballistic' outside her rural home.
"She was woken at 1am by her pet barking.
"And the 53-year-old, from Banchory Devenick – just outside Aberdeen – discovered a massive paw print on the ground outside the next day." ...
"Heather, a potter and sculptor, recognised the print as belonging to a cat because the claws were retracted."

Australia: Another Black Cat

A Kenthurst boy reported seeing a large black feline, as big as a Labrador, capture a large crow. (News source.)

Feline News

A new population of clouded leopards has been found on Borneo. (News source, courtesy Kevin Stewart)

More searching for the European wildcat in the UK here.

And, a reported "leopard" roaming Floyd Co., Indiana. (News source.)

Australian "Panthers"

Another sighting of large ("bigger than a labrador") black-brown feline in Australia here.

UK Feline

The "Walton Wildcat" has been sighted. (News source.)

Australian "Big Cat" Sightings

Stories from near Berowra Heights and from the South Australia/Victoria border (I haven't looked on a map -- they may or may not be the same region).

SC Feline Sightings

Sightings of cougar and black felines in South Carolina noted here.

Univ. MD "Cougar" Isn't

Police think the feline spotted on University of Maryland's campus was not a cougar, but a "savannah cat," a serval-domestic cat hybrid. This is based on video, which I've not seen, (and I don't see it on the UMD police department website, though reported there by the news). I don't know how accurate the identification is; it's fairly common for a simplistic exotic solution to be "jumped on" by authorities when the evidence is vague. Might just be a large patterned domestic cat, sans hybridization. Of course, in comments on the story, most will overlook the "hybrid" part of the explanation, and freak out over the "African wild cat" part.

Ontario: Cougar Sighting?

A big tan cat is reported roaming around Lambton... (News source.)

Australian Big Cat Reports

Some actual sighting accounts here along the border in Victoria, Australia.

Australian Big Cats Again

Generic news article here.

Doubts on Black Cat

Color may be the main factor in doubts by Illinois wildlife officers that an alleged big black cat was an actual big cat... (News source.)

New Zealand Big Cat

A large feline was reported from the Northland: (News source.)

"A giant wild cat described as possibly even a lion was seen by a firefighter and his son during an urban search and rescue exercise in a quarry at Kaiwaka, 90 minutes north of Auckland.
"Kaiwaka Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer John Bowmar began an investigation after the sighting about 5pm on May 29 during the exercise, which involved more than 100 firefighters, police, ambulance and search and rescue staff.
"The pair saw 'something rather large and unusual' about 30 metres away on the ridge of the Parker Lime Company quarry, Bowmar told Sunday News.
"'It was not a sheep, it was not a dog it was a very large cat.'"

Mississippi: Black Cat

From Mississippi: (News source.)

"Jamie Daughdrill of Brooklyn is one of those area residents who claims to have proof that a black panther roams the southern part of Forrest County.
"He has a photo of a black feline walking across his food plot that he took with his game camera.
"'I know probably less than a quarter mile from there, my wife’s niece was coming home from work six years ago. She saw something big and black cross the road and she came in and told us "I saw a black panther cross the road,"' Daughdrill said. 'Nobody had seen anything of it for six or seven years until I got the picture on my game camera.'" ...
"'All I'm saying is that it’s big and black and looks like a panther,' he said. 'I never said it was a panther, but I've heard all my life there weren't any in South Mississippi, but people are always hearing them.'"

The posture is intriguing, but it is too far away to distinguish species; without a better photo of the profile, or any way to estimate size, it's impossible to say exactly what it is. It could easily be a large lean feral domestic.

Cat News

Another "sheep-killing cat" from the UK here...

The controversy continues on whether the "black panther" seen in Ohio is an exotic or just a large feral domestic cat. (News source.)

OH: Cat Sightings

A big cat has been reported in the Lima area. (News source.)

Australian Black Cat Sighting

A man staying over with a family in Guyra, Australia, saw a cat-like animal described as "jet black in colour, around 500 mm high, 800mm long with a sleek long straight backed body and a feline shaped head. It had a tail around 400mm long which was slightly upturned as it ran. Its gait was smooth and it ran quickly with its head at about the same level as its back." (News source)

Beast of Bay (UK)

Another black cat seen in the UK, this time in a field with a bunch of sheep. Cat and sheep ignored each other. (News source.)

Feline News

"Black lions" are reported from South Africa. (News source.)

Sightings of a big black cat in Tynedale (UK). (News source.)

The Carraguar

Just added to BioFortean Review:

The Carraguar, or Night-Tiger, of Colima, Mexico
Chad Arment

Spain: Black Cat

A black feline in Spain is being blamed for attacks on pigs. (News source.)

California Black Cat Photo

A California man caught a black feline on a digital camera trap, and wonders if it might be a black mountain lion. Experts note that the feline is too far away, and the picture too blurred, to be identified. (News source.)

Big Cat Hunts

A large black feline was reported in Keene, New York. The sighting account is fairly interesting, better than most. (News source.)

And, over in the UK, police search for the Beast of Hoddlesden, "dapple pale brown creature which had a white spotted face and a dark ringed tail." (News source.)

Ohio: Exotic Feline?

A Granville, Ohio, resident says she saw an unusual feline, "tan-colored with a long tail and very pointed ears and weighed 60 to 70 pounds." It was "sparring like a boxer" with her golden retriever. (News source.)

Australian Panther a "Pest"

Large black cat sightings are raising more concerns in Hawkesbury, Australia. (News source.)

More UK Feline Sightings

Two more reports of black felines. (News source.) The first:

"Marketing and PR consultant Elma McMenemy, who lives at Barras, had a close encounter with the beast, which she described as similar to a panther, on Cheyne Hill while out walking her dogs on Tuesday morning.
"Mrs McMenemy's suspicions were first aroused when her dogs, both deerhounds, began scratching at a stone wall.
"She told the Leader: 'They were terribly attracted to the wall. One of my dogs jumped over it. I looked over to see what was happening and the cat stood up. It was right there, about three or four feet away from me.'
"Mrs McMenemy (56), said the cat was 'completely black, with a shiny, smooth coat' and the same height as one of her deerhounds - about 28 inches tall.
"'The dogs appeared to have interrupted its breakfast,' she continued. 'It had been gnawing at what looked like a deer's leg. My dogs gave chase, and it ran. It tried to take its meal with it, but dropped it a few seconds later'."

Another sighting involved a "cocker spaniel" sized, dark colored feline.

Australian Mystery Animals

Northern region of New South Wales has a thylacine-like mystery animal: "Perhaps these animals are just mangy foxes or wild dogs. Farmers and other rural dwellers regularly observe these introduced species. However, the descriptions sound more like an animal that is supposed to be extinct. The strange, waddling gait, the kangaroo-like tail and the brown bands across the back remind us of the remarkable thylacine." (News source.)

The same writer records 50 sightings of thylacine-like animals, that he received during 10 years on an Australian radio program. (News source.)

And, a veterinarian opines that the mystery animals reported at Maraylya are possibly introduced black leopards. (News source.)

Australian Panther Sighting

A Maraylya, Australia, man reported an encounter with a large black feline:

"'It was just before nightfall on Wednesday, January 23,' Mr Illingworth said.
"'When I first saw it, it was 40 paces away. I was walking along with the wheelbarrow with my eyes down towards the ground watching for snakes. In my higher peripheral vision I saw a movement so I raised my gaze to see an enormous black cat coming towards me.'" ...
"'The most unforgettable thing was its tail, about a metre long, no noticeable taper and perhaps two inches in diameter,' he said."

Big Cat Roundup

Mountain lion sighting in Missouri. (News source.)

Mountain lion (or coyote) sighting in Indiana. (News source.)

Big cat spotted at St. Leonards (UK). (News source.)

The Puma Field Guide

The Cougar Network has put out a new downloadable field guide to mountain lions.

This short download has a high level of detail on the biology, behavior and history of these felines, and makes for a useful reference tool.

The Puma Field Guide was written by biologists Harley Shaw, Paul Beier, Melanie Culver, and Melissa Grigione.

The Border Beast Reported Again

According to the Tyrone Today for February 2, 2007, the mysterious feline called the "border beast" has been sighted again.

"The unidentified creature was seen on the Favour Royal Road at about 10 pm. Members of the public are asked to be vigilant and any sightings of the animal should be reported to the police. It is believed to be the first appearance of the so-called "border beast" for a number of years. In the last decade there have been a series of unexplained sightings of wild animals or catlike creatures in various parts of the Clogher Valley."

The "border beast" is a catlike animal reported from Ireland. One of the best entries outlining the history of this animal, and other mystery felines in Ireland is Neil Arnold's Ireland's Exotic Felids . Arnold outlines quite well the history, in brief, of the regions felid unknowns.