Comments on: Devil’s Lake and Black Mystery Cats Sighted

By: cryptidsrus

cryptidsrus — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:59:21 +0000

I agree with MITCHIGAN. There may some sightings that can be chalked up to explained pets but I doubt highly ALL sightings are due to “escaped pets.”

A question—

Why do people keep using the term “panthers,” since technically that is NOT what they are?

I’m not knowledgeable enough about cats to says whether or not that term can be used but from what I DO know these cats are actally in the jaguar family. “Panther” is just a general term.

By: mitchigan

mitchigan — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 15:05:32 +0000

Ah-Ha, the old “escaped pet” theory again ! How many pet cougars are there anyway? They certainly seem to be able to escape quite well.

By: squatchwatcher

squatchwatcher — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 14:18:00 +0000

There was also an attack on a horse here in S.D. last month (Oct.) The Game, Fish, and Parks denied claims of a mountain lion attack, even though people in the area keep reporting seeing them around the area.

By: helenmcginnis

helenmcginnis — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 12:49:11 +0000

The Cougar Network, which is very conservative in recognizing confirmations, does show several in North Dakota and adjacent Minnesota. So as sschaper says, a cougar sighting in North Dakota is no big deal.

The two articles were from me via the easterncougar listserv, which is sponsored by the Eastern Cougar Foundation (ECF). We normally do not include articles about BBCs (big black cats) but made an exception in this case because the London Free Press and other newspapers in southwestern Ontario have been running articles about alleged cougar sightings for several months. I have about ten in my computer file. Recently, a horse named Rainbow had to be put down. A cougar was blamed. It turned out that something frightened Rainbow, and she ran through three fences, fatally injuring herself. There was also an alleged calf kill. Officials of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources checked this out. They found coyote tracks but no evidence of cougars.

In fact, no evidence of cougars has turned up near London. But when the media repeatedly run stories about alleged sightings and instances of livestock depredation, more sightings will be reported, and some of the alleged cougars will be black.

So far, all of the photos and video stills of assumed black panthers have turned out to be black housecats, with the exception of a single black dog in Alabama.

By: michaelm

michaelm — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 23:33:59 +0000

I lived in Minot North Dakota for 4 years, recently i went back for a visit and spoke with a friend whose mother went to the porch to get the paper one morning and saw a cougar laying in her driveway. So maybe they are returning to the area, there is alot of prey for them to choose from. Also contrary to popular belief, NoDak is not entirley flat. There would be a lot of habitat for them.

By: sschaper

sschaper — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 17:16:24 +0000

I find nothing surprising about cougars, lynx or bobcats up in that area.

The fact is, they are back.

By: squatch-toba

squatch-toba — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 16:43:55 +0000

Hey Loren… There was a sighting in North-Western Ontario last fall, ‘06, as well as sightings in Manitoba. Cougars are around, but there is a problem. Cougars do not have the genetic ability to occur in black color phase. They are not melanistic…the only large cats in North America that do occur in black color phase are bobcats ( kind of smallish to be seen as possible cougars) and jaguars!!!! HHHMMM , Canadian jaguars….mighty odd. There are large black cat sightings just east of Lake Winnipeg, and they do continue, but they are thought to be wet cougars comming out of tall grass after rain or early in the morning.