Black Panthers in Illinois
Posted by: Loren Coleman on December 22nd, 2006
Black panthers in Illinois are not merely melanistic jaguars far from home.
I grew up in central Illinois (1947-1965, 1969-1974) and went to undergraduate school at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (1965-1969). I was out searching for black panthers when I was 14, for example, in Macon County, doing field work on big mystery cat sightings in southeast Illinois when I was 16, and slushing through swamps in southern Illinois more than I was in some classes during my college years at SIU.
Needless to say, all those first few years, I wasn’t writing too much about what I was doing, because I was busy just “doing cryptozoology” out in the field, so to speak.
I feel lucky to be able to recall those days fondly, and now I am able to honor others by writing about how new, younger researchers are out there doing similar things in the same fields. It is good to know, for example, that someone else is still seeking answers to all the reports of the big black cats in southern Illinois.
The Harrisburg Daily Register notes that Virgil Smith is just such a man. He told the paper:
“A lot of people in localities of Saline, Hardin, Gallatin and Williamson counties are reporting cats,” Smith said.
He said many reports are of large, dark cougar-variety cats. He is receiving reports and forwarding the information given to him to government officials, he said. Most sightings are from hunters and outdoorsmen who he said request anonymity from the media.
“We are getting some reports of livestock being killed and cats in trees,” Smith said.
“Anyone with photographs, we would like to get a copy of the photographs.”
Smith reassured folks that he is an independent investigator who uses motion sensing cameras, night vision, and has a live trap. He goes on to make some observations, saying there seems to be:
…a large cat that regularly walks a route from Illinois Route 13 east of Harrisburg to south of Jim Hayes Inc., across Muddy, across Illinois Route 34 near the double bridges, to the back side of Galatia Mine, to the outside edge of Harrisburg Lake and back.
He also believes there is a cat that walks in the area of the Eagle Mountains and Williams Hill.
Random Posts
- Similar Phenomena:
“Smith reassured folks that he is an independent investigator who uses motion sensing cameras, night vision, and has a live trap.”
Virgil Smith, this is your big chance to make a name for yourself in Cryptozoology – you’ve got the gear and the youthful energy and enthusiasm, and you’ve analyzed your target’s routine.
Now, focus EVERYTHING on that “Route 13, Jim Hayes, Muddy, Route 34, double bridges, Galatia Mine, Harrisburg Lake area – mount the cameras, bait the trap, and wait.
And wait…
And wait…
Patience and persistence rule.
Good Luck in the New Year, Virgil!
I’m with Fuzzy. Great news to hear that Mr Smith is so eager and obviously well prepared. Even better news is the LIVE trap. If only the wildlife services could take a leaf out of Virgils book! Good luck dude and I look forward to hearing you name more in the future!
Smudge
p.s. Don’t worry yourself Loren, I’m sure white pants were cool once upon a time!!
“Black panthers in Illinois are not merely melanistic jaguars far from home”
So, are they escapee pet leopards or odd sized jagarundi? And what does “cougar-variety” cats mean when discussing melanistic animals of the panthera genus.
mike
Mystery Black Panthers found in Illinois, of course, are cryptids, truly unknowns.
There are no verified records of melanistic cougars/pumas any where in the United States, Mexico, or Canada, despite decades of reports of “Black Panthers” all over eastern North America.
The only large cat that has a black phrase and comes into the US, across the Mexican border into the SW, is the jaguar.
Good luck in trapping one of these cats. The South Central area of Illinois is well known for it’s great deer hunting. This goes right along with big cats reported in the area. The cats are were the food is.
The Park’s & Wildlife folks in my part of the world (central texas) have a hard time admitting that there are big cats here. Your research and capture may (hopefully) bring more attention to these beautiful animals. Good Luck!!
Good, solid reports of the black cats go back at least 150 years according to my records and probably before that. But in all that time no one has caught or killed one and I only know of one instance where a cub from a possible black cat was found in Indiana. Although it was examined by three different veterinarians its species (or even if it was a feline at all) couldn’t be ascertained. I’m always hopeful but these things are seemingly far more elusive than normal animals should be.
Researchers recently used catnip to entice wild jaguars to a camera and it worked where animal bait failed. Maybe catnip could be used to attract these mystery cats as well. Or valerian… cats go nuts for valerian.