Reported 'black panther' was a regular cat

upi ^ | Dec. 2, 2011

[JoeProBono]

COVINGTON, La.- A Louisiana wildlife official said a "black panther" reported near an office building outside of Covington was actually a domesticated cat.

Maria Davidson, who manages the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries large carnivore program, said the feline, which was photographed Wednesday and reported to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office as a panther, was nothing more than an ordinary house cat, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Friday.

"A case of mistaken identity is not uncommon," Davidson said. "Size [of cats)] can be somewhat difficult to determine ... at a distance or with a picture."

Experts said the only animals known as black panthers are the black jaguars found of South America and black leopards of Asia and Africa.

However, Vicky Gehbauer, the facility manager at the office building where the animal was spotted, said she is not convinced.

"I don't care what the experts say. I can't be convinced otherwise. I know what I saw ... That was not a cat. It didn't belong there," she said.

[JoeProBono]

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

You mean it didn't look like this:

[JoeProBono]

[Sybeck1]

Episode of Monsterquest covered US panthers

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

Any pink panther sightings?

[JoeProBono]

[Moonman62]

The “endangered” Florida panther is nothing more than a common North American cougar.

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

For some reason, your pics are all showing up as littel red x’s on the account that I’m on. Not sure why... :-(

[JoeProBono]

[RoosterRedux]

That cat seems to have a longer back (more combined thoracic/lumbar vertebrae) than a domesticated cat.

[Pollster1]

Reported 'black panther' was a regular cat

That's what Holder said too.

But the mistake is understandable:

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[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

[forgotten man]

Zookeepers tell me that panther is a genus, not a species. Lions, Tigers, Leopards, and Jaguars are examples of panther species. Cheetahs are not panthers because they do not have retractable claws. I think some Jaguars are dark in color, but if you look closely you can see their spots.

[beebuster2000]

alligator?

[Altariel]

Basement Cat has left the basement.

[Altariel]

kitty ping?

[Tanniker Smith]

No, dope, that dude on the left is just a regular cat.

[Himyar]

There have been numerous sitings in Alabama of black panthers. Both the two legged and four legged varieties.

[ItsForTheChildren]

Not a "regular cat."