USA Mystery Cats

Big Cats in Britain (Stateside) USA Mystery Cats Compiled by Alex Mistretta




We need a logo for this section of BCIB & the USA Mystery Cats - could you design one for us. We cannot offer money but will be greatly appreciative. Email Alex with your designs and suggestions.	I was born in Paris, France in February 1970, but moved to Southern California in 1979. In fact I regard Los Angeles as my hometown, and while I have retained some French, I consider English my first language. I have been fascinated by Cryptozoology as long as I can recall. As far as the British Big Cat phenomenon is concerned (and my interest in big cats in general), that interest was fueled by three distinct events. The first dates back to my early childhood where we were given a lion as a surprise gift. Two, was the first time I saw a snow leopard. Unfortunately in captivity; but the beauty of that animal left a lasting impression. Lastly and more related to our topic, was the first time I was introduced to the Black Panther phenomenon in the United States, in the early 1980's. I remember reading in a newspaper an article on Black Panther sightings in Illinois. Further research brought the British Big Cat situation to my attention. Fast forward in time; I graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago, with a BS in Psychology and a BS in Anthropology. My choice of Anthropology was motivated by my interest in Cryptozoology. I realized that I needed a better understanding of evolution, for one, in order to separate fact from fiction when in came to various Cryptozoological species. Today, I work as a personal trainer here in Los Angeles, and I have also been involved in documentary work in the last few years. I co- wrote and put together an expedition/documentary on Mokele-mbembe a few years ago. After two years of work, the production company pulled the plug just a few weeks before I was set to go to the Congo. I am now working on a website, mostly Cryptozoological based, to further my documentary work. I am hoping that production companies will thus be able to find me easier, both for filming and/or consulting. My goal is to be able to do research in Cryptozoology full time. You can email Alex with any news from the USA at alexmistretta@earthlink.net Or complete the sightings form HERE

2008

Maned Lion in Colorado
Sightings of an animal described as a lion, prompted an eight hour search by the Colorado Springs Police Department, the Sheriff's office, the Colorado State Patrol, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the Department of Agriculture, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and a helicopter in El Paso County, Colorado on Monday morning July 14. It all started when a resident reported to the police, at 7:35 a.m, a lion chasing dogs in a field. The report was taken seriously, as well as two follow up reports that occurred later that same morning.
One of the witnesses, Sharon Harding Shaw, who took a photo of the animal with her cell phone. The photograph was inconclusive. The last sighting took place at around 10 a.m.
The animal was reported as having a red mane and a brush on the tail. Several wildlife sanctuaries were checked for escaped lions, but all their animals were accounted for. Several tracks were found, but no lion. The search was aborted at 3 p.m.

Source: The DenverChannel.com, ABC News - Thanks to USA BCIB representative Alex Mistretta

USA Black Panther Killed in Neosho Missouri
A Newton County deputy shot and killed what experts believe to have been a domesticated black panther Monday outside of Neosho as it tried to batter its way into a woman's home.
Sheriff's deputy Cpl. Donn Hall, who was not available for comment Tuesday, responded to a 9-1-1 call from a resident at 9555 Orchid Drive, southwest of Neosho, who told dispatchers a panther was trying to get in her back door.
"Most of the time when you get a call like that you're like `Ok, whatever'" said Capt. Richard Leavens, patrol supervisor with the sheriff's department.
But when Hall arrived at the residence just after 6 a.m., he was met by the reported panther, which began running toward him. According to Leavens, Hall grabbed his service 12-gauge shotgun and pumped two shells into the attacking animal. Initially deterred, the panther retreated down the driveway, but then turned back and came at Hall again. He had time to squeeze off his last shotgun round and then drew his Glock .45 service pistol and emptied the clip into the cat, which dropped it.
"You're shooting at something about the size of a pie-plate (the panther's head) and then the adrenaline dumps on you," Leavens noted. "He didn't do too bad."
The resident, who was not identified, later told officers that she had been outside when the panther ran at her. She screamed and took off for her house. The cat would have overtaken her if her dogs hadn't jumped in to fight the animal off. It bought her the time she needed to reach her door and call the police. To her horror, the panther — who had brushed the dogs aside — then tried to break its way through the door to get at her.
Hall arrived shortly thereafter. The dogs weren't injured in the fight.
The panther, meanwhile, was later weighed in at 60 pounds and measured roughly three feet. Leavens said agents from the Department of Conservation were called in to examine the corpse and said the cat, a male, wasn't a fully matured adult. Interestingly, it had been de-clawed, indicating someone had owned it as a pet.
"Or at least they were keepers, I don't know who would want to have a `pet' like that," Leavens said.
While exotic animals are legal to keep in Missouri, it requires a permit, which is kept on file at the county sheriff's department. Leavens said the only such permit in Newton County is for — oddly enough — a Bengal Tiger. He said the department had not been notified of anyone in the area reporting a missing panther.
However, considering the cat's range can be considerable, sometimes more than 100 miles from its home, Leavens said it might not have originated from very close-by.
Meanwhile, Hall was given the carcass of the animal and is having it stuffed at a Joplin taxidermist, Leavens said.
"Well, he will to have something to show his grandkids as proof," he joked.
The Neosho Daily News: 20th June 2008

Melanistic Mountain Lion?
"The Lion was not darkish, not a brown-tawny like some I've seen since, but jet black". This statement came from John Balawejder, a frequent hiker that has previously seen 10 mountain lions, while out observing the local wildlife in Point Reyes National Seashore, Northern California. He was accompanied by friend Burke Richardson. The exact date of the sighting is not given, but presumably occurred in March or April of this year.
The sighting occurred from about 30 yards away, and when the animal saw the two men looking at him preceding to try to hide in the grass. At this point Balawejder and Richarsdon became worried that the cat may stalk them; and thus preceded to vacate the area.
What is somewhat unusual about this sighting is the certainty from Balawejder that he was looking at a melanistic mountain lion. Officially mountain lions do not exhibit melanism. The reason we use the term Black Panther to described sightings of large black cats, both in the United States and in the UK, is because specie identification for the majority of these animals remain elusive.
Sightings in states bordering Mexico may point to the black jaguar as the culprit; but sightings for the rest of the country may point to another type of cat.
Sightings of large black cats are fairly common in Northern California, especially in Marin County.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle; Cryptomundo

Black Panther Sighted in Lake Placid, New York
Tsermaa Plumley was the first to notice the animal outside her window, in the driveway. She called out to her husband Dan and Daughter Evella. She initially thought that it might be a bear, but quickly realized that what she was looking at was a large black cat. The driveway was what she used to estimate the length of the cat which she estimated at four and a half to five feet from head to tail. She described the tail as "long and heavy", and moving side to side. The cat was walking around in a slow fashion, until Dan walked outside to get a better look. At this point the cat ran off.
The Plumley's live in Keene, Lake Placid and the sighting occurred on Saturday April 20th at 9:30 am .
Source: Lakeplacidnews.com

Lenawee County Large Black Feline Sighting
Reported Wed 2/20/2008 2:27 PM to www.savethecougar.org
Date of Observation: Feb. 20, 2008
Time: 7:05 a.m.
County: Lenawee
Location Description: Rogers Highway near Laberdee Rd.
Sighting Description:
"I was driving south on Rogers Highway between Blissfield and Tecumseh when the black cougar ran across the road from the east to west in front of my car. I almost hit it. I knew immediately it was a member of the cat family, not a black dog, because of the way it ran, and it was definitely too large for a house cat. Very interesting sighting."

www.savethecougar.org

Genesee County: Large Black Feline Sighting
Reported: Wed 1/16/2008 10:19 PM to www.savethecougar.org
Date of Observation: 1-16-2008
Time: 4:40 PM
County: Genesee
Location Description: Not a cougar, large black melanistic cat South end of my home in the swampy wooded area beyond my property, between 30-40 yards away.
Sighting Description: "I was in my family room which faces South when I was startled by my dog who jumped off the couch and barked deeply as if he was threatened. I looked up to see a very pretty red fox run between my yard and the neighbours heading south into the back 40. We watched intensely as the fox headed around an abandoned horse barn which probably houses much wildlife. As I went to go sit down I noticed the fox trotting quickly back around the horse barn as if something had startled it. It proceeded to head east into a much swampier and dense area of the woods. Once it was out of sight I sat back down and tried to get my dog to relax. He finally got back on the couch with me, but continued to stare in the direction of the action. Between thirty seconds to a minute later my dog barked loudly again startling me, I looked out the window to see a very large and long black cat taking the same path as the fox. As I sat there stunned and my dog freaking out I realized why the fox had turned around so abruptly. The cat I saw was no cougar, it was black for sure and obvious with a snow covered ground. It was about 4 feet long and was very low profile, if I were to guess a weight, maybe 70-80lbs. I now believe the stories I hear about the "Black Panther sightngs" I have heard in MI. I later walked the area with a flashlight and a friend to check for tracks. We did find tracks from both animals along with drag marks from the belly of the animal. The paw prints from the cat seemed to be only a little larger than that of my dog who is a 1 year old Chocolate Lab mix 80-90lbs."

www.savethecougar.org