Plaquemines Panther Prowling
Posted by: Loren Coleman on February 4th, 2011
Lousiana’s Plaquemines Parish Office of Homeland Security is informing residents of the East Bank of Plaquemines Parish that a large black panther is on the loose, Jay Vise of WWL reports.
Image for illustrative purposes only. This is not the Plaquemines Panther.
In an automated recording delivered to East Bank residents, a spokeswoman for the Homeland Security office says the animal “is believed to be about eight feet in length.”
Officials warn residents to be mindful of where children and pets are, and if anyone sees the big cat, to call 911 immediately.
Parish authorities say the cat may be aggressive and people are recommended to avoid it, keep pets indoors.
WWL Outdoor Show host Don Dubuc, however, told listeners that it was unlikely it is a black panther.
“There has never been a confirmed sighting of a panther or mountain lion in southeast Louisiana,” Dubuc said.
“What we’re talking about here is the cougar, puma, mountain lion, panther, it’s got a lot of names, but it’s the same animal,” Dubuc said. “Its range is mostly out in the western part of the United States. We finally got some documented proof of some up in northern Louisiana, but there’s no reason to believe that they can’t exist in the Atchafalaya. However, this is a possibility that a large, wild cat could be roaming in Plaquemines Parish….if it were, it would most probably be a leopard. Leopards come in black phases, instead of spots, that is what is truly a ‘black panther,’ is in the leopard family. We do not have those indigenous to southeast Louisiana.”
However, Dubuc says it’s not out of the realm of possibility that such a large cat escaped from captivity aboard one of the many ships passing up and down the river, or was released from a local resident’s cage.
Here at Cryptomundo, we sometimes find the explanations for American black panther sightings to be more unbelievable than the notion there might be a mystery cat around. Circus train wrecks, circus trucks, drug dealers’ zoo escapees, and now ships passing in the night? Incredible.
Thanks to John Lutz for the heads up on this new series of sightings.
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.
I vote for a melanistic jaguar. I remember seeing a special on tv wherein they reported jaguars being seen well outside of their normal range.
I grew up in South Western Louisiana, the Lake Charles area. The adults often spoke about the black cats. They did not call them panthers they called them jags or “jagwar”. They were not talked about like a mysterious swamp beast. The jags were commonly accepted as real just like a deer or snake. It was fairly common to hear someone say “keep an eye out for the jagwar if you are going out” meaning going camping or just going out into the bayou. I never witnessed one myself but I did come across tracks a couple of times a year. There is no confusing their tracks with anything else. The tracks are huge compared to a bob cats tracks.
I believe they called them Jaguars because that is what they are. I think they come up from Mexico into Texas and Louisiana. As for a breeding population, who knows? It may be they have yearly hunting spots or are just looking for new territory.
I am sure what they are seing in plaquemines parish is the same thing. A black jag.
It appears that this legendary black feline scenario is quite international.
Here I thought I was watching a nice new independent western from Australia and out of nowhere comes this tangential tale of an old dark friend. A familiar explanation of its existence is also here.
Best thing is, it shows up onscreen. I suspect it was the only digital effect in the whole movie, but is sent chills up my back anyway. Check it out if it comes your way, I noticed it’s at Netflix already. You will not see a mention whatsoever in any reviews of the cryptid (at least none that I have read).
Oh yeah…name of the flick is “Red Hill” and even without the crytid it’s a damn good movie. But I have to admit to being partial to OZ indies.
Most so called “Black Panther” Sightings can easily be explained.
The person or persons see a Black House cat in a Open Field and in a Open Field there is no Size reference points as in Trees, Plants and so on.
So since there is no Size reference points the Black House cat looks much larger then what it really is.
It is basically one of Nature’s Illusions.
But this does not completely Rule Out the possibility of Black Panthers in the US.
Black Jaguars being in the US is unlikely.
It is Most likely a Black House Cat.
Black Panthers are Very Rare.
The Jaguar’s Range isn’t even close to Louisiana.
The Jaguar’s Range is particularly in New Mexico.
But there has been sightings of Jaguars in Arizona and Texas.
In 2009 a man spotted a Jaguar in the US and it was Captured.
It was the Only Jaguar spotted in the US in More than a Decade.
I live in St. Bernard Parish, and I’m pretty nervous about our new residents. Word has it that a couple in lower St. Bernard were raising 2 “panthers” when Hurricane Katrina struck. Apparently, the animals escaped…that’s where people think these creatures came from.
Here’s a recent article from our local news station.
I was turkey hunting in Shubuta Mississippi and spotted a panther twice. Once while driving in on the dirt road leading up to the camp and the next day crossing a powerline right of way. I didn’t get photo of the cat but I did get a photo of it’s tracks.