Eastern U.S. Cougars

“I'm not sure I'd like to be curiousity stalked by a couger but I'd sure like to get a photo of the couger scat fairy.”

“Oh, Ida thunk of it sooner Fritz, but I was on a work break.”

“How timely! We are hearing reports of "black panthers"...
~Lizs (et al)

There is no such animal as a black panther.

"Panther" is synomous with cougar, catamount, mtn lion, etc.

The only big, black cat is the jaguar of S. America. They're also spotted.

The jaguar that's making a comeback in the DSW is spotted, like the one's in Mexico.

A couger *might* appear to be rather darkish when wet, tho...”

“there was a reported jaguar in texas and they can be black so it might be possible that the are coming north. And you know i find it really cool that cougars are coming back, i remeber seeing a thing on the news a year or two back about a cougar near a school they had a pretty good video but not sure what it was but the school won;t let the kids out side so there must have been something to it, and any way if they are there maybe there is hope that bigfoot is real too that would be cool to find two new things”

“The only big, black cat is the jaguar of S. America. They're also spotted.

The jaguar that's making a comeback in the DSW is spotted, like the one's in Mexico.

I can't remember where I read it, but they have photographic evidence of them in New Mexico. Biologists said up motion detector cams and got pictures.

As for cougars, I'd love to see one, or at least hear one.”

“there are a few reproted case of jaguars in texas they can be black, and a few year back there was a video tape on the news of what looked like a cougar all i know is it was right near a schoola and because of the sighting they wouldn;t let the kids go out side for a few days. Well if there are cougars on the east coast maybe bigfoot is real”

“photoguy - there have been several reports of cougar sightings in Vermont as well.”

“good god artex, what are doing up? don't you know this is the time when west coaters rule the board. go to bed. you can post in the morning! :)”

“Oh, sorry. I work crazy hours, so I'm often up at wierd times of the night. Can I act as the east coast late night ambassador?”

“I'm in the east coast too. Well, kinda central east. Supposedly, there's mountain lions here in Quebec too. Witness reports...but no confirmations yet.”

“cougar attacks are fairly common in Big Bend National Park in Texas.”

“Yeah, these people I talked to said there was no such thing as a "black panther." So it was expected to be a cougar. I don't recall right now what they said about cougars, if one could really be black.

This woman was freaking out cuz her kids thought they saw a bear. Actually, she said she grew up in Alaska and was not worried about black bears, which usually wouldn't attack unless provoked.

She then said one night, in the same area, she was driving and 200 feet ahead on the road saw something black. She presumed it was a cow or calf on the road, that had gotten out of a pasture. BUT... she said the way it disapeared under a barbed wire fence and just vanished was crazy. Also, the car caught one orange eye.

I need to get the DNR guys. Wish me luck! Another deer season has started.

Also, I need to do a search and see what happened to the place with the wild/exotic animals and pets. See just what they might have "lost." I guess a DNR guy did say that someone near Duluth had let free a cougar or some type of black cat and possibly it had two cubs a year or so ago.”

“Hmmm... here's some of the "dope" on this animal park, probably half an hour away... After reading this stuff, you might just ponder about the people owning this animal park possibly letting a cat go as the next federal investigation of their facility loomed??? I mean, after the big cat in found in New York City was linked to them.

So... naysayers... who KNOWS what kinda cat is in our neighborhood??! Nothing for a big cat to go 100 miles in a day!!

From their website:
B.E.A.R.C.A.T. Hollow is a home for over 318 different animals including many endangered species such as African Lions, Tigers,
Leopards, and Grizzly Bears. Our facility was designed and built with easy viewing in mind. All who visit us will get a close-up look at the world's most beautiful animals. Our philosophy is, "If we can teach today's generation about yesterday's mistakes there will be a future for these beautiful creatures".

OH and you New Yorkers (MAPLE???) will be interested in this from KSTP news:
Tiger found in New York apartment came from troubled Minnesota animal park Watch video
Updated: 10-08-2003 01:18:10 PM

A full-grown Bengal tiger was removed from a New York City apartment. It was discovered after its owner showed up at a hospital with a huge gash on his leg from the tiger. New York animal control removed the tiger and a 5- foot long alligator and placed them in animal sanctuaries. Their owner now faces reckless endangerment charges.

Eyewitness News has learned that tiger came from a troubled animal park in Minnesota.

Zoos, like the Como Zoo here in St. Paul, are where you'd expect to find tigers, not in someone’s apartment. But police in New York are tracking that tiger back to Minnesota, to BEARCAT Hollow.

That’s the animal park in Racine, whose owners already face federal charges. Like this police video, it's unclear how long the Siberian-Bengal mix lived in this Harlem apartment. But it is clear the tiger, which was first drugged and then dragged from its urban dwelling, has roots right here in Minnesota.

Documents from the State Board of Animal Health reveal the tiger, at 12 weeks old, was inspected by a vet for shipment back in 2001. Ken Kraft from BEARCAT Hollow is listed as the owner. The consignee is Antoine Yates.

Authorities are now trying to determine if Yates paid Kraft for the tiger and an African lion, which is also named in documents. It's a federal offense to buy and sell endangered species.

Just last week, Ken Kraft and his wife were indicted for the 1998 illegal purchase of Como, the white Siberian tiger, which attacked a young girl two years ago.

The us fish and wildlife service won't confirm if the big cat in New York came from this small animal park in Racine. But they do say BEARCAT Hollow's owners remain under investigation.

The Krafts are not commenting.



And from the Oct. 9, 2003 CBS News:

(AP) The 400-pound tiger hauled out of a New York City apartment last week is one of thousands of wild animals living in homes across the country, part of a multibillion-dollar industry with little regulation.

Ming was purchased from a private animal dealer by his owner, 31-year-old Antoine Yates, authorities said. Along with the 20-month-old tiger, Yates kept a 5-foot alligator.

There are 15,000 pet tigers, lions, cougars and other "big cats" in the United States, nearly three times as many as in the wild, said Wayne Pacelle, senior vice president of the Humane Society of the United States.

"It's become ... a national epidemic," Pacelle said. "They're sold pretty cheaply. You can buy them on the Internet."

Web sites advertise tiger cubs from $500 to $2,000 or more, depending on the breed. Dealers also peddle lion, leopard and cheetah cubs.

"There are some people who want the biggest gun or the biggest truck," Pacelle said. "Some people want the biggest, baddest pet."

Those in the industry say a properly trained animal lover can take good care of an alligator or a cheetah — and bond with it just like any other pet.

"The emotion you feel toward an animal has nothing to do with the size of the animal. It's just as easy to love a lion as it is a house cat," said Pat Hoctor, a former dealer in Indiana who puts out an industry newsletter called Animal Finders Guide.

Hoctor said he doesn't approve of how Yates kept Ming confined to only seven rooms. The space, he said, wasn't adequate for an animal that can travel up to 100 miles a day in the wild.

Authorities discovered Ming after he attacked Yates for getting between him and a kitten. Yates said he was "heartbroken" by the loss of his tiger, now living in an Ohio sanctuary.

Yates was charged with reckless endangerment and possession of a wild animal, which is banned by city law, said a spokeswoman for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

But New York state is among 33 states that have no law banning big cats, said Pacelle.

The federal agencies that regulate wildlife said they have little or no control over wild animals in homes.

"We have no authority over people's pets," said Jim Rogers, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's animal and plant health inspection service.

The USDA doesn't regulate individuals who buy the animals but does require the nation's 4,739 exotic animal dealers to obtain licenses, Rogers said.

"Captive, bred animals we're not involved with at all," said Mitch Snow, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency occasionally investigates dealers if they transport wild animals over state lines while violating state law, Snow said.

Kenneth Kraft, owner of the Bearcat Hollow Sanctuary in Racine, Minn., told the New York Daily News that he sold a tiger to Yates. Kraft did not return messages from The Associated Press.

Snow said the service is investigating Bearcat Hollow for possible violations, but he would not elaborate. Kraft was charged last week with falsifying paperwork in the purchase of a Siberian tiger that attacked a girl in 2001.

Nine people have been mauled to death by tigers and scores more attacked in the last five years, Pacelle said. Even well-trained handlers run a risk: Roy Horn of "Siegfried & Roy" was attacked Friday by one of the tigers in his Las Vegas show, and remained in critical condition.

Despite the danger, a desire to connect to the wild motivates some buyers, said Jim Breheny, associate general curator at the Bronx Zoo, who helped remove Ming from Yates' apartment in Harlem.

"People are so cut off from animals and nature this is an aberrant way to try get to close to nature," he said. "A lot of these people think that they're doing the right thing."

Hoctor, who lives on a 25-acre farm south of Terre Haute, Ind., where he now keeps llamas, sheep, ducks, geese, chickens and a few small cats, said people should take husbandry courses to properly care for animals who also live in the wild.

He noted people pursue many hazardous ventures that are commonly accepted.

"Why do people ride motorcycles?" Hoctor said. "Hell, it's a lot more dangerous than raising exotic animals."”

“Might Bearcat Hollow have had jaguars??”

“There was a show on Animal Planet (I think) just a week or two ago where they said there were more large cats kept as pets in the US than there are in the wild -- worldwide. Pretty mindblowing if true.

I dunno guys... Big cats give me the willies, <G>

The indigenous peoples of Central and South America thought the Panther was a god (if you've seen one at close range, you know why).”

“I think it would be so cool to be curiousity mauled.”

“Exactly, Tilt. This woman said she was now scared to let her children play outside, since there appears to be a "big cat" looming. Also, others have reported it. And at this woman's place a couple weeks ago, they had a shot deer hanging from a tree like they'd done for the past 12 years. She heard a bunch of barking outside, although no one checked it out. In the morning a full hindquarter of the deer was gone. And there weren't any remnants of it either, like if a dog or coyote would have gotten it.”

“They are now trying to bait it somewhere and are putting up a motion detection camera, attempting to at least PROVE its presence.”

“I can't even remember the last time I was 'drugged and dragged'. I don't get out nearly as much as I used to....”

“We've had news reports lately of big cat sightings in and around Greenville (upstate). Apparantly it's someones "pet" that escaped or was released when it got too big to be "fun" anymore. So far no reports of damage or death, but it's getting pretty good press. Thinking is that its a large bobcat or cougar.

There have been unconfirmed reports over the years of panthers in the GSMNP as well. A couple of rangers have reported sightings, but no pictures or scientists have confirmed.”

“I think the Southeastern cats are more stealthy... so far.”

“Biggest cat I've ever seen in the southeast was a bobcat. It probably weighed 20 pounds or more and was very sneaky. It used to patrol the edge of our yard when I lived in the Western NC mountains.”

“I had a bobcat where I lived outside Decorah, IA. My neighbor saw it in my yard (which POed me.. I never saw it) Many, MANY people saw it, but I didn't.”

“We were pretty sure that the one in our "yard" took out one of the domestic geese that hung out on our pond.”

“yeah, cats (the small, domestic variety) would just end up missing, too”

“I always thought ”

“Lets try this again.

I always thought this little anecdote made a pretty interesting campfire story when I lived near where it happened. Guaranteed insomnia! Do you suppose he really was a "snow bird" like they claimed?”

“"It shocked the britches off me," Canfield said. "I've never seen a UFO, I've never seen Elvis, but I know I saw a mountain lion."

LMAO!”

“Mountain lions are abundant in So Calif., but in 25+ years of hiking & backpacking I've never seen one, only their tracks. Probably have been stalked, and have had them visit campsites at night; I like to look around my campsite for tracks to see who's 'visited' me the previous night while cooking breakfast.

They have attacked humans here in the Calif backcountry. But the attacks are on small kids that wander away from groups while in the backcountry, not adults. They also come into neighborhoods bordering the wilderness and 'dine' on pets left outdoors.

As for 'Black Panthers;" isn't that the nickname for a 'monutain lion' type cat known as the Florida Panther that inhabits Florida and surrounding areas? They are rare and are on the brink of extinction.”

“Yeah, that's some of that Kentucky color that made living there so interesting, lol.”

“Well, Hell!

I just read the Wikipedia entry on the eastern cougar and apparently the US Fish and Wildlife Service concluded in 2 011 they were extinct.

Ontario says they exist there, but suggests they might have wandered from the West.

Well one of a friend's students saw one on deer stand and called our (Quebec) wildlife service who took samples of some fur and concluded it was a cougar.

Two weeks ago there were two cougar attacks on horses witnessed by their respective owners, one of whom was run past by the cougar to jump on her horse. The attacks were in the area of South Stuckley (qv.) north of the Quebec-Vermont border. This is about 1½ hrs. East of me.

Well, last week a neighbour had two calves killed by cougars. As you can imagine, this has caused quite a stir locally. The farmer saw a pair of cougars on each calf body and the animals ran off when they saw him. This is about 1 mile north of the Quebec-New York State border in the area of Chateaugay, NY.

What with the information that the so-called eastern coyote is mostly eastern red wolf, thought extirpated north of Georgia, we seem to be experiencing something exciting.

Whatchall thimk?

Doug”

“... while the kid was on deer stand, that is.

(Oops)”

“Eastern cougars are definitely not extinct. Just ask any pool boy.”

“lmao.... cougar in a deer stand ..... looking for a pool boy hehehe

No way they're extinct in WNC, too many sightings here for at least some of them not to be real. Nothing for us to confuse them with anything either.... I mean, we ain't real smart nur nothing, but we know a bobcat from a panther.”

“Some have suggested they were lynx. I am lucky enough to have seen both bobcat (twice) and lynx (once), both far north of Montreal in the Laurentian hills (also fisher - twice - once in the North and the other in New York State). Neither could ever be thought of as a threat to a calf, much less a horse.”

“Zac, you berry, berry bad mon.”

“There is a BIG kitty living down on Venus Branch below the trail here. Needless to say when I am out hiking this area Sam Colt is always with me, LOL.”