Illinois Panthers
Posted by: Loren Coleman on August 2nd, 2009
Illinois is having some fun with some panther observations, which began two weeks ago and then again as recently as last Tuesday.
We’ve had a couple sightings of a cat or a large animal that appeared to be a cat anyway.
The conservation people in the Department of Natural Resources are not confirming what we’ve seen so far nor are we confirming it.
The thing that bothers me about it is the people reporting it are very credible. These are people you have to put some credence in what they are seeing.
We combed that area the other day and looked at ground that did not have vegetation and we did not see tracks of any kind.
~ Jay Young, Chief of Police, Henry, Illinois.
To read more, see here.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Greetings All!
Henry would be a logical place for transient cats to be seen. The Illinois River valley would be a natural coridor, lots of wild areas and wildlife refuges. henry is about half-way between Peoria and Starved Rock State Park, for those who are a little familiar with central Illinois.
I spoke with a laborer last year, and he and his son had seen what he described as a “black panther” near Iuka, Illinois on their own land. They also have bobcats that breed there, and he said it was definitely something different.
Oddly, the only real positive record of a big cat in Illinois, was a puma in a Chicago suburb not terribly long ago! It was said to have wandered in from Wisconsin. Personally I think that the Shawnee national Forrest, which ranges across the southern-most part of our state, might harbour a few. And for those keeping score at home, armadillos have now made it as far north in Illinois as Belleville (St. Louis, MO is one of our well-known suburbs!).
These animals have been moving into the midwest for years. DNRs need to stop sitting on their hands and acknowledge it.
I know for a fact that it’s possible…
My mother lived on a small farm just outside Santa Clause, Indiana in Spencer county. As long as I can remember (I’m 57) she has talked about the panther that would come out of their woods and frolic in the pasture like a kitten. She saw it up close several times when it would pace them while riding their pony. It was definitely not a feral cat. Much, much larger…
Intriguing, I grew up in the Ottawa area (a farm in Deer Park [LaSalle County]), and heard people occasionally talk of big cats. My Uncle runs “horse rides” in the Starved Rock area, so I’ll try to see what he heard.
In 2004 they found a full-grown bobcat dead on the railroad tracks along the Mississippi in S. Illinois. People who live in the outer rural areas say they have been there for years, and probably cougars too.
:ocally, we are wondering what the effect of our terrible weather this spring was on the wildlife. We had weeks of terrible storms, huge damaging hail, and a derecho with constant winds around 120 mph for half an hour. In some areas 50% of the trees and shrubbery was taken down and in all of the populated areas was removed and burned. Although the wilder areas further to the south were unaffected by this particular storm, across the state from the Mississippi at Jacob through to Harrisburg and the Ohio, there was great loss of ground cover and trees. We are already seeing more deer on the roads at night than we usually do, probably because their usual habitats are tangles of fallen trees. The extreme wetness and cool weather, with a few hot spells, seem to have made abundant food for the grazing animals, so I guess the carnivores should be thriving too. But it’s going to be a lot harder to get into the wild areas to see any of them unless they come out. The hunters will have a really hard time this fall and winter.
I saw a black panther in April 2008, northwest of Coatesville, Indiana. It was only 50 yds. from me.
Great sightings you are reporting, people, and great post!!!
Hopefully, more “Panther” sightings will be reported soon.
“The thing that bothers me about it is the people reporting it are very credible. These are people you have to put some credence in what they are seeing.”
Apparently Chief Of Police Young tends towards the “skeptical side.” Apparently he started off with the idea that these sightings were fake and is now “bothered” by the fact they might be real after all. Oh, well…:(
Maybe he’s worried about possible “concern” that might spread if the Panther sightings are “verified.” Who knows…
Goodneat—Coatesville, Indiana sounds like one of those places where Panthers might be seen. Can you estimate how big it was??? Did it make eye contact with you???
Care to elaborate on your sighting? 🙂
it looked to be about the size of a regular couger,much MUCH to large to be a house cat.when i seen it was walking away at a 45 degree angle 40 to 60 yards aprox. so no eye contact.
The midwest is NOT the only region of renewed big cat sightings, as central Virginia is overrun with repeated sightings, some from trained observers with backgrounds in game & forestry management.
4 years ago, multiple sightings began along the southeastern perimeter of Shenandoah National Park near Crozet, then gradually spread up the forest’s eastern boundary as far north as the forests of western Rappahannock County.
A decade ago, repeated sightings with track identifications occurred within the SNP, but NO cougar was ever officially located.
In summer of 2007, renewed sightings began near Blackstone in central Virginia’s Nottoway County. Within 14 months, similar reports filtered in from Powhatan County, west of Richmond, indicating to us, the lone cougar was moving north probably using railroad tracks, where the most recent reports are coming in from Caroline & Spotsylvania Counties.
Eastern Puma Research Network field researchers are continuing to monitor the central Virginia situations & at times are conducting field investigations of the new reports.