# Video of black panther in Alabama



## bigox911

If they're in Alabama my guess is they're in GA

http://www.thejump.net/multimedia/cougar/black-panther.htm

Here's a link straight to the video if you want

http://www.thejump.net/multimedia/cougar/webcat.wmv


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## boomer

Man....the camera man should have put the camera down and slung some lead


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## northgeorgiasportsman

Yeah.... that's definitive proof right there.

Too many cutaways in the video.  Deer and cat never in same frame for good reference of size.  Video is EXTREMELY blurry.  Still not convinced.  Video is pretty fishy to me.


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## hevishot

I dont buy it.....


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## doenightmare

Something seems Amish.......


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## JWilson

Put some lead in it and I will belive it then


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## Bruz

doenightmare said:


> Something seems Amish.......



I didn't see any Amish people in the video at all.......Not even a horse drawn carriage

Robert


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## Paddle

IF you were the ONE person to EVER film a Black Panther would you move the camera off of it to film a deer? NO!

 The camera moves to look down the food plot for more deer.........the Black House Cat was added later. 

 They almost did a  good job!! They should of had a Bigfoot throwing a big yarn ball!!


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## Mugwamp

*Black  Leopard*

The video is very suspicious. 

From the heavy body of the cat, it is likely a Black Leopard, and not a Melanistic Cougar or Black Jaguar.

Could it be staged with someones pet, sure it could. There are a lot more folks who keep things like that as pets than you think.

Could it be someones excaped pet Leopard? Sure it could. After all, if your big pet kitty cat pet got loose, would you call the DNR or the News and the Cops and report it ?

There were many roadside zoos in the past in N. Florida that housed animals like that. Perhaps one of them excaped.

What bothers me is the web site has added sound of a big cat growl, and has photos of Cougars also. This makes me think that the whole thing is staged.

Some redneck with a video camera taking blurry photos of deer around his feeder who sees a big cat would not be the type of person to ad sound to a web site video.

Mugwamp


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## swamphawg

Man if it ain't one thing it's something else. If I were the guy filming I'd scrolled down the food plot to show a deer in it too as a point of reference. Every person that's had pictures of a large black cat has been denounced because they had no reference point. That cat is obviously larger than a house cat as is reference by the sage grass on the edge of the food plot. It is normally around three feet tall and the top of his back comes right up to it. If your kitty was three feet tall at the top of his back I don't think your wife would be lettin em jump in her lap now would she? Also, you really think an Alabama boy knows how to photoshop a cat into his video?  Na I'm just messing with that one. But people are so set against there being large black cats (over 100 pounds) in georgia whether they be panthers, jaguars, etc. that as soon as someone else has some form of evidence, it immediately gets denounced. I personally have seen one on the Savannah River two years ago. Thankfully I had a buddy with me who saw it too or I'd never believed it. But it looked identical to the one in the  video. And when we got out to look for tracks there were clearly cat tracks almost the size of grapefruit. But I don't need to go tell the DNR just to hear them say, they don't exist. It's like the saying goes, seeing is believing. Why don't y'all ask the South Carolina DNR guy what he saw in the Chatooga when he was chased by one. I promise you he's a believer.


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## northgeorgiasportsman

Mugwamp said:


> Some redneck with a video camera taking blurry photos of deer around his feeder who sees a big cat would not be the type of person to ad sound to a web site video.
> 
> Mugwamp




I'd say the person who filmed it isn't the same person that runs the website.

But as far as dumb rednecks not being capable of creating a good hoax....  It was just a dumb redneck (Roger Patterson was a cowboy) who filmed the most famous Bigfoot video of all time.  And yes, I believe it was a hoax.


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## Mugwamp

One thing is wrong with that video that you list. They say "while it resembles a mountain lion, there is no such thing as a black mountain lion." There actually are melanistic mountain lions that are known to science, however, the big cat in the video is not a not a black mountain lion. It has a different body build, and a different gait.

As far as that famous Big Foot video, it always looked like a person in a suit to me, LOL !


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## dawg2

Mugwamp said:


> ...There actually are melanistic mountain lions that are known to science, ....



I know there are Black Jaguars, and Black Leopards, but have never heard of any documented case of a melanistic Felis Concolor / Puma / Mountain Lion / Cougar.  Do you have a link of that?


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## Mugwamp

Many years ago, I was told that there were melanistic Felis concolor that were documented in South and Central America by the Curator of the big cat collection at a Texas Zoo. This was while we were talking about other big black cats like Leopards and Jaguars that they had in their collection. Because he was a professional in the field, and imported big cats for the zoo's collection, I had no reason to doubt him.

Now, when I do a Google search on the topic, I find some references that mention melanistic concolor from South America, but no hard science to proove it. I did however find two interesting web sites on the subject. One talks about what is known as the "Cherokee Cougar,"  which is a taxidermy mount. It actually looks very dark brown and not black, and supposedly had been tested to confirm that the hair had not been dyed. 
It also shows an old Black and White photo of what is supposed to be a black puma.
See: 

http://www.messybeast.com/genetics/mutant-pumas.html 

Also see this site: 

http://www.naturealmanac.com/cougars/cougar_range.html

which shows the historic range and suspected range of these cats. It is not much of a stretch to think that they could live in many other of the unpopulated areas around the country. 

What we have to remember, is that every major river in GA has a flood plain that runs hundreds of miles long, and several miles wide. These flood plains are not built in at all, and often contain vast swamps and wilderness areas where few humans visit. What a great place for a big cat to live and hunt. 

As far as the films of the big black cat, I think that might be an excaped big cat or a hoax video. However, that has nothing to do with the actual cougar sitings in GA. They are here.

Best Regards    Mugwamp


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## JasonTyree04

If I ever see a black panther there will be no need to analyze my video. If you wanted to see him just come on over to the house. He'll be in the den.


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## GA DAWG

JasonTyree04 said:


> If I ever see a black panther there will be no need to analyze my video. If you wanted to see him just come on over to the house. He'll be in the den.


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## chevyguy

I have seen a large black cat on 2 occasions directly across the Savannah River from downtown Savannah on the dredge project/wildlife preserve land


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## bilgerat

he couldn't shoot that cat, 


that food plot is planted in catnip and that would be considered a baited field!!!


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## Mugwamp

With all the sightings of these cats, eventually someone will shoot one, or one will be killed by a car. Several normal panthers in Florida are killed by cars every year.

I am betting that the black animal will turn out to be a Black Leopard, that has somehow excaped from a roadside zoo, traveling circus, or was someones pet.

While I generally do not like more wildlife laws, in this case I think a National Law that would require a tracking tag from a vet before the animals could be sold might be usefull. 

That way, all large potentially dangerous animals sold as pets, or kept by zoos,  like bears, wolfs, lions, tigers, leopards, lynx, and cougars, could be traced back to their owners.

Mugwamp


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## GoldDot40

Funny how everyone would be willing to shoot one if given the chance. Do you realize how much trouble you'd be in for killing one? They are on GA's Special Concern Animals and GA's Protected Animal Species lists and from what I understand carry about the same penalty as killing an Eagle.
http://www.georgiawildlife.org/content/specialconcernanimals.asp


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## northgeorgiasportsman

That's why you Shoot, Shovel, and Shut-up.


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## dawg2

Bassquatch said:


> Funny how everyone would be willing to shoot one if given the chance. Do you realize how much trouble you'd be in for killing one? They are on GA's Special Concern Animals and GA's Protected Animal Species lists and from what I understand carry about the same penalty as killing an Eagle.
> http://www.georgiawildlife.org/content/specialconcernanimals.asp



I see Puma Concolor, but not Panthera Onca.  Panthera Onca would be the most likely candidate for a BLACK specimen.  But they ARE federally protected.


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## Mugwamp

balvarik said:


> Ain't y'all got any injun reservations down there?
> 
> Have dem native boy's hunt one down!!!!!
> 
> I sure hope that comment was just a poor attempt at humor, and not what this fellow actually thinks about Native Americans.
> 
> Mugwamp


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## Ruger#3

Mugwamp said:


> balvarik said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ain't y'all got any injun reservations down there?
> 
> Have dem native boy's hunt one down!!!!!
> 
> I sure hope that comment was just a poor attempt at humor, and not what this fellow actually thinks about Native Americans.
> 
> Mugwamp
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My friend can speak for himself, but he lives on a reservation.
Click to expand...


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## GA DAWG

Bassquatch said:


> Funny how everyone would be willing to shoot one if given the chance. Do you realize how much trouble you'd be in for killing one? They are on GA's Special Concern Animals and GA's Protected Animal Species lists and from what I understand carry about the same penalty as killing an Eagle.
> http://www.georgiawildlife.org/content/specialconcernanimals.asp


I dont see black panther on that list anywhere!!!!!!!!!! A cougar and black panther are different


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## gaspur1

I have seen black Jaguars , they mark their area by clawing trees from the ground going up the tree for about 15 inches. Some of them are black and some have spotted faces. They are here in Georgia and have been for years. I saw my first one 18 years ago.


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## powg

*black panthers*

most black panthers live in gov. subsudized housing near big cities...only spotted when a fellow panther or associate  finds himself surrounded by pigs and something bad happens to himself or one of the pigs, then they call out to other black panthers  who come from out of the woodwork to make false allegations of misconduct  against the pigs or any animal that is not black ....


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## ribber

powg said:


> most black panthers live in gov. subsudized housing near big cities...only spotted when a fellow panther or associate  finds himself surrounded by pigs and something bad happens to himself or one of the pigs, then they call out to other black panthers  who come from out of the woodwork to make false allegations of misconduct  against the pigs or any animal that is not black ....



that's funny right there, i don't care who you are!


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## zedex

ribber said:


> that's funny right there, i don't care who you are!



X2 and doubled again.

I know there are DNR people on this site. Why don't they just jump in and confirm the exsistence of these animals in the state? Wouldn't that put an end to the debate?


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## ylhatch

powg said:


> most black panthers live in gov. subsudized housing near big cities...only spotted when a fellow panther or associate  finds himself surrounded by pigs and something bad happens to himself or one of the pigs, then they call out to other black panthers  who come from out of the woodwork to make false allegations of misconduct  against the pigs or any animal that is not black ....



thats pretty good right there:grinch:


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## redneck_billcollector

Mugwamp said:


> Many years ago, I was told that there were melanistic Felis concolor that were documented in South and Central America by the Curator of the big cat collection at a Texas Zoo. This was while we were talking about other big black cats like Leopards and Jaguars that they had in their collection. Because he was a professional in the field, and imported big cats for the zoo's collection, I had no reason to doubt him.
> 
> Now, when I do a Google search on the topic, I find some references that mention melanistic concolor from South America, but no hard science to proove it. I did however find two interesting web sites on the subject. One talks about what is known as the "Cherokee Cougar,"  which is a taxidermy mount. It actually looks very dark brown and not black, and supposedly had been tested to confirm that the hair had not been dyed.
> It also shows an old Black and White photo of what is supposed to be a black puma.
> See:
> 
> http://www.messybeast.com/genetics/mutant-pumas.html
> 
> Also see this site:
> 
> http://www.naturealmanac.com/cougars/cougar_range.html
> 
> which shows the historic range and suspected range of these cats. It is not much of a stretch to think that they could live in many other of the unpopulated areas around the country.
> 
> What we have to remember, is that every major river in GA has a flood plain that runs hundreds of miles long, and several miles wide. These flood plains are not built in at all, and often contain vast swamps and wilderness areas where few humans visit. What a great place for a big cat to live and hunt.
> 
> As far as the films of the big black cat, I think that might be an excaped big cat or a hoax video. However, that has nothing to do with the actual cougar sitings in GA. They are here.
> 
> Best Regards    Mugwamp



I have seen the so called "cherokee cougar" mount, it is in a shop in Cherokee NC.  The very tips of its guard hairs are blackish, the the cat itself wouldn't be called a black panther if someone saw it.  I have also seen the photos of the puma from south america, it is about like the cherokee cougar, it is a black and white photo and has a discription made by people who were there and it was discribed as a light chocolate color, that is almost how I would say the cherokee cougar looks.  It would be interesting to see if there have been any dna tests done on the cherokee cougar to determine if in fact it is a cougar pelt. 

The one aspect I noticed with the cherokee cougar was that it had extremely long guard hairs unlike any live cougar I have seen or any cougar hide I have seen, that is what makes me think it is a fake.


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## Throwback

that "black panther" was shorter than the broomsedge it walked into at the edge of the food plot. 


T


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## RNC

Nuthin like an good OLD black panther thread party ! ;]


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## chehawknapper

I have worked at Chehaw Park for over25 years where we have an AZA accredited zoo. Over those years we have received numerous calls of spottings of panthers, cougars, etc. Most were described as being black. Occasionally I was assured that there were clear tracks that I could examine and make casts of. I have found various dog tacks, house cat tracks and in one case the tracks of what I believe to have been a very large male bobcat. But in all fairness, I must point out that the largest of male bobcats  have tracks of similar size and approximately the same gait as a young female cougar. Still no definitive proof. We received a call from Veterans Memorial St. Park claiming that they had a video of a black panther seen on park grounds. I went to the park along with Larry Sorel who was the zoo curator at the time. This was shortly after the flood of '94 and Lake Blackshear's waters were still down. We sat down and watch their video and saw what appeared to be a large black cat walking along an open sandy area. The video was very clear. You could see the muscles rippling as the cat walked. At one point, the cat obviously saw or heard something inside the woodline. It crouched into a stalk and moved right to the edge of the woods. It paused by what appeared to be a stump and was as high as the stump. It then pounced into the woods and disappeared. This video was taken from across a "lagoon" of water that was maybe a 100 or so yards wide. This may have been over on the bank of where the campground is before they had expanded the sites. Larry and I both agreed we were looking at a large cat. We both knew the scientific facts of the possibility of a black cougar so we assumed it had to be a black leopard escaped from a circus that was moving down I-75. A jaguar has too bulky of a head, this cat was more slender. I asked if it had rained since they had taken the video and was told a very light misting was all. I went over to the sandy area to look for tracks. I found a ton of racoon  and possum, one dog track and the tracks of a great blue heron. There was also a clear set of house cat tracks that seemed to follow the same route as the cat in the video. I was very confused as I would have sworn that was a big cat in the video. I asked to see the video again and this time when the cat stopped at the stump we reversed it several times playing it back to look at the background so that we could be sure to recognize the stump. We went back to the site, located and agreed on the "stump" seen in the video. Larry stayed where the video had been taken while I went around to the stump location.We were using our radios so he could guide me and stop me at the stump. He stopped me exactly where the house cat tracks showed it had jumped. The "stump", that we had assumed to be 2-3' tall in the video, turned out to be a cypress knee about 12" tall. Larry is a professional zoologist and I have been in the woods all my life as a hunting guide, forestry and wildlife technician and natural resources manager. The video fooled us both. It doesn't constitute proof.


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## Throwback

chehawknapper said:


> I have worked at Chehaw Park for over25 years where we have an AZA accredited zoo. Over those years we have received numerous calls of spottings of panthers, cougars, etc. Most were described as being black. Occasionally I was assured that there were clear tracks that I could examine and make casts of. I have found various dog tacks, house cat tracks and in one case the tracks of what I believe to have been a very large male bobcat. But in all fairness, I must point out that the largest of male bobcats  have tracks of similar size and approximately the same gait as a young female cougar. Still no definitive proof. We received a call from Veterans Memorial St. Park claiming that they had a video of a black panther seen on park grounds. I went to the park along with Larry Sorel who was the zoo curator at the time. This was shortly after the flood of '94 and Lake Blackshear's waters were still down. We sat down and watch their video and saw what appeared to be a large black cat walking along an open sandy area. The video was very clear. You could see the muscles rippling as the cat walked. At one point, the cat obviously saw or heard something inside the woodline. It crouched into a stalk and moved right to the edge of the woods. It paused by what appeared to be a stump and was as high as the stump. It then pounced into the woods and disappeared. This video was taken from across a "lagoon" of water that was maybe a 100 or so yards wide. This may have been over on the bank of where the campground is before they had expanded the sites. Larry and I both agreed we were looking at a large cat. We both knew the scientific facts of the possibility of a black cougar so we assumed it had to be a black leopard escaped from a circus that was moving down I-75. A jaguar has too bulky of a head, this cat was more slender. I asked if it had rained since they had taken the video and was told a very light misting was all. I went over to the sandy area to look for tracks. I found a ton of racoon  and possum, one dog track and the tracks of a great blue heron. There was also a clear set of house cat tracks that seemed to follow the same route as the cat in the video. I was very confused as I would have sworn that was a big cat in the video. I asked to see the video again and this time when the cat stopped at the stump we reversed it several times playing it back to look at the background so that we could be sure to recognize the stump. We went back to the site, located and agreed on the "stump" seen in the video. Larry stayed where the video had been taken while I went around to the stump location.We were using our radios so he could guide me and stop me at the stump. He stopped me exactly where the house cat tracks showed it had jumped. The "stump", that we had assumed to be 2-3' tall in the video, turned out to be a cypress knee about 12" tall. Larry is a professional zoologist and I have been in the woods all my life as a hunting guide, forestry and wildlife technician and natural resources manager. The video fooled us both. It doesn't constitute proof.





Using logic, measurements, deductive reasoning and facts is not allowed in the great black panther debate. 


T


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## redneck_billcollector

Very logical and thought out posting Ben.  There have been many studies on how the brain reads what the eyes see.  I have always thought that "black panther" sightings were people catching sight of something that they did not expect to see so the brain fires off something that was not really there.  Years ago, right after we worked together, I was riding through Red Cloud range on Ft. Stewart at about 0430 and I saw what I thought were two panthers, one being black, crossing the road.  That afternoon I was able to go back and look around, I found two sets of large dog tracks.  

Not to steal the thread Ben, we cut some black bear tracks down on the flint just north of Baconton a short while back, got a GW to come out and he verified them.  Years ago we cut the trail of that bear caught in Radium Springs in about the same area.   I wonder if it is the same bear, he was caught and I assume was sent back down to the Appilachicola NF. If Fla. doesn't start back bear hunting we are gonna start seeing more in the Flint river drainage.


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## chehawknapper

Hopefully, whether Fla. hunts or not, we will start seeing more bear in the river drainages.


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## redneck_billcollector

Weren't you on the Dixie Plantation cruise back in 80 or so Ben?  Remember that bear that was jumped out of one of those cottonmouth infested cypress ponds?


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## chehawknapper

Yep! There were 1 or 2 gators that had to be nudged out of the way as well.


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## Throwback

bears have become more common on this end of the flint/hooch drainage in the last 10 years or so.


T


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