Neosho Black Panther: A Leopard
Posted by: Loren Coleman on June 22nd, 2008
A Newton County, Missouri, sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a large, black, declawed cat, which turned up in a residential yard on May 19, 2008.
The cat was a young male whose body was approximately 3 feet long and weighed 40 pounds. Its age was estimated at six months. An initial examination showed the claws had been removed from all four of the animal’s paws. Its fur was jet black.
Steve Bircher, curator of mammals/carnivores at the St. Louis Zoological Park, has positively identified the Newton County cat as a leopard (Panthera pardus).
More non-news background at: Black Cat Killed Near Neosho Was Not a Mountain Lion by Jon Law,
Saturday, June 21, 2008.
- Similar Phenomena:
Certainly it was a pet. Shame on the coward that won’t admit that he/she let it escape.
panthers & wildlife & sasquatch creatures must be moveing to safer parts of forests becouse the severe weather therefore they might be seen more often now. thanks bill green
look, I may not be the one drugging the animals on wild kingdom (Robin Williams reference), but to me it is logical that upon hearing about a large cat–a bloody steak laced with some sleeping pills might be in order. As cats go (all cats to my knowledge) simply pull up, possibly make some noise and while the animal is coming for you-toss the steak at them. First the motion of something will intrigue them, and then the smell will stop them in their tracks. Once drugged you can determine so much about it. Heck, if it takes animal control longer than you like, hand cuff it. But the point is that just because there’s a call about a large animal seeming to attack people doesn’t mean it will kill anyone. True, be careful, but let’s not act like total idiots.
Joppa: I whole-heartedly agree.
Had the owner, who went throught he expense of de-clawing this magnificent animal, just put a collar with a vaccination tag on the cat. I truly believe that the law enforcement professional would have held fire to ascertain ownership. It obviously wasn’t large enough to cause major problems for the officer and I still believe that he shot it because of the suspicion of rabies. Rabies ain’t pretty, people, nor are the vaccines one has to get after being bitten by a rabid animal.
Sad story all around, beginning with this poor creature being mutilated by its owner.