Comments on: Black Panthers Spotted in South Carolina

By: CColeA325

CColeA325 — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:05:57 +0000

This happened in the early to mid 90s. Five of us were playing golf at Pineland Plantation (Later renamed Sumter National) near I-95 and Hwy. 378 in Sumter County. We were on the 17th green putting when a large brown or gold colored cat with a long tail walked across the fairway around 90 yards from the green. He walked across there in no hurry like he owned the place. I would estimate the cat weighted 50 to 75 lbs. It did not resemble the pictures I have seen of cougars. They seem to be longer and more streamlined than this cat. This golf course was like an animal preserve with plenty of deer and wildlife living there. A cat this size would have no trouble finding food. What kind of cat it was I don’t know, but I will never forget seeing it.
My sister carried my dad to Columbia today Aug. 19, 2009. She was coming back through Wateree swamp on Hwy. 378 this afternoon. She said she saw a big cat dead beside the road with a long tail. She wanted to go back and get a closer look, but my dad wanted to get on home. She is sorry now that she didn’t go back and see the cat. She said it was big and gold colored with some stripes. There seems to be to many sightings by people in many parts of the state for us not to believe we have some big cats living among us besides our native bobcats. MonsterQuest on history channel motivated me to post these sightings tonight.

By: helcat

helcat — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:46:05 +0000

I live about five minutes away from the Darlington Race track back up in the woods. There is swamp land in front of me, a very large farm feild behind me, and lots of woods. I heard my dog barking wildly just a few days ago and when I looked out to see what she was barking at I watched this huge black figure with a very large, thick tail jumping into the woods in front of me. I would not have believed what I had seen had I not of found its paw prints in my garden. The prints are way too large for any dog in this area and my dog is on a tie out. This animal has paid a visit this past Saturday night, he seems to like walking through my garden so I am getting some really good prints off of him.
About twenty some odd years ago my boyfriend at the time and myself were on our way to Hartsville from Florence on the backroads where Hoffmyer meets 401. We saw a huge pair of yellow eyes and as we watched it came closer into the headlights of the car. We saw a big beautiful black panther. It totally unnearved us both and we did not talk to anyone about what we had seen until now.

By: rrwill65

rrwill65 — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:32:22 +0000

I have obeserved two black panthers in the Wateree Swamp. Each was approximately 3 feet in length from head to rump, and the tail was the same legnth as the body. I estimate the weight to be 75 to 100 lbs. The first cat I saw in 1989 actually sat below my climbing tree stand, which had me about 25 ft in the tree. I observed the animal for about 3 minutes, before it heard me move my rifle, an ran into the cutover it had come out of. I again saw a large black “panther”, after deer season, the same year. I had a ground level sighting as it crossed a logging road, going from my right to left. Again, the cat was at least 75 lbs and about 3 feet long, plus a tail as long as it’s body. These days were before camera phones, and it was not until 1990 that I began riding with a camcorder in my truck. I swear on my childrens life and the life of my mother, I witnessed the black panther in the wateree swamp, and anyone who doubts is wrong.

By: Southern Vixon

Southern Vixon — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:33:23 +0000

I Live In Aiken County And Out At SRS Plant Ther Are Panthers Out The The Wildlife Out There Is Protected And No One Is Allowed Out There Well My Dad Works There And He Has Come Across 2 Big Black Cats Crossing The Road I Dont Understand Why These Experts Are Saying Its Impossible For These Animals To Thrive Or Exist Here There Just Not Looking In The Right Places

By: Heartpinefurniture.net

Heartpinefurniture.net — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:52:59 +0000

I live in Holly Hill about 50 miles from charleston,for years we have heard about the black cats.I never really trusted anyone i just thought you would see more of them around.About a year ago i was taking down a old barn a few miles from my house and i took a break and i look out and there was a huge i mean huge black panther or somthing i have saw pictures of panters before and this thing was bigger solid black huge tail his eyes literally was softball size i was froze so there are huge black cats im sure he lives near that area still i would love to get one of these motion cameras to take pictures of him!

By: wateree_gal

wateree_gal — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:38:34 +0000

I live in Kershaw Co. SC near Lake Wateree. A couple of months ago my husband saw a huge black cat walking along tall weeds in a field near the Heath Springs area on Stoneboro road. He said it was about 100 feet off from the road, so he slowed down to get a good look at it because it was way bigger than a house cat. It was almost as tall as the tall weeds. He thought it was strange seeing a cat that big & jet black. It did not walk like a dog. I thought it was strange so I tried to look up wildlife in SC, but it does not list panthers. I stumbled across this site & sure enough our thoughts were confirmed that we aren’t the only ones who thought it was a panther. Bobcats are not jet black to my knowledge. I don’t know if they are nocturnal but this was during the day when my husband saw it. If anyone else in my area has seen one, let us know please, thanks!

By: theblindman

theblindman — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:07:33 +0000

I live in North Myrtle Beach SC near the waterway. We have a small pond out back, the other afternoon around 6:00 I was sitting on the back porch and a large black came out of some woods and sat down and rolled over, then it went into some tall reeds and I have not seen it since. About a week later my wife saw a large cat, she described it as dark grey with some white on the face, a large long body and a thick long tail. The cat I saw was dark black with a tail about 30″ inches long. I am sure it was a Black Panther, as some call them.

My neighbor spotted a large track on his property. We are thinking about setting up a camera out back, if we get some pics. would like to see them?

By: JoelSullivansIs

JoelSullivansIs — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 21:30:59 +0000

I moved to Sullivans Island from Chicago back in late 2005. It was not long after that I encountered a very large black cat at close range. I was walking on Ion Ave on a clear bright day and saw something under a elevated semicircle drive way. I wasn’t clear what it was at first - I thought maybe it could be a large dog - I stopped and looked. Then he came right out from under and stared directly at me - even showed his teeth and growled at me. I swear that thing was going to attack - I couldn’t have been more then 30 feet away - completely unobstructed view - I described it as a black panther. Just moving their I thought maybe these were native. This is when everyone begin telling me they did not have black panthers/cats in SC. I still say now what I said then - TRUST ME, YOU DO.

By: Bake Neko

Bake Neko — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 08:16:40 +0000

When I was going to Trident Technical University in North Charleston I had a friend named Glennis who said he saw a large black cat. He lived in a country area that was close to the Charleston district. He said it terrified him and he called the animal control. I didn’t think much of this thinking that he might have made it up. But seeing as how “black panther” like cats have been seen in other many areas of the Palmetto state, he may not have been yanking my leg. The first thing that came to my mind was “cougar”. But I’m pretty sure there are no cougar populations any where near the Charleston area. Quite perplexing.

By: SteveA

SteveA — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 23:45:25 +0000

I live in Marlboro County SC, and we have had several reports of large black cats in this area as well. Of course, we have been told no bears are in this area. That said, two weeks ago, a wildlife trail cam, posted by a deer hunter, snapped a real good pic of a large black bear, right near the Pee Dee River. The argument is always presented as well, there are never any bones around. There are far more birds in this country than most other animals. How many birds, others than those hit by cars or shot, have you found just lying on the ground? I dare say not many, if any.