Sunday, April 5, 2009

Black Panthers!

I have never seen, in person, a tornado, a UFO (well maybe once, but from a distance), Bigfoot or a Black Panther (except for Bobby Seale on TV years ago). That's why it depresses me that members of my own family have seen the elusive black panthers in West Tennessee on more than one occasion. I just might have to make it a mission, because I KNOW they're there!


So far, the only black cat I see regularly is Buckwheat, my pet cat, but even with that one, there are days which go by without sighting the elusive cat, and it's IN MY HOUSE. Buckwheat's a strange cat, but certainly not large or legendary.


Although the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says there's no such thing, others in West Tennessee keep track of the sightings. They're black cats, but much larger than house cats. They're reported to be larger than a mid size dog. There are a few photos of them, but not many. TWRA says they are cryptid.

I don't think so, and I have 2 witnesses in my own family. My brother, an avid bike rider, spotted one in a ditch beside the road one evening, and my little sister spotted one on at least one occasion in a field behind our parents house, near Trenton, TN. I tend to believe my sister on these things since she's a PhD in Zoology. Both said it was no housecat. They're not willing to say it was a puma or mountain lion, or jaguar or leopard, but it was MUCH bigger than a house cat. They said it was slightly larger than a mid-sized dog.

I told both of them to do something I always do: have a camera. I always have a digital camera or a cellphone with camera at all times, just in case I see that darn cat.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

They exist. Used to have one who lived beside my house. Beautiful animals.

Hula Girl at Heart said...

Kind of like the bobcat issue in southern Illinois. I know they exist there because my brother found a dead one beside the road and took a picture.

Darlene said...

Sightings around Dickson Tn. For at least 8 or more yrs now. He or She has been eating small dogs. about 5 in the last few months. It has been seen and heard.

Anonymous said...

I saw one on Monday of this week, middle of the afternoon, in a field between the intersection of Hwy 100- Hwy 22 and Scotts Hill High School. I first saw the gold eyes, then noticed it was not a house cat, head was large, it was sitting.