Has anyone seen or heard of encountering a large black panther in the area near the Swift Creek Nursery ? I was out walking on Thursday (8-6-09) evening at around 11:30 pm in a subdivision near the Swift Creek Nursery. I saw an large black animal slowing strolling out of the woods and started walking away from me, but directly in front of me in the middle of the street. I did shine my flashlight on it and it stopped and turned its head around and starred at me for a good 10 seconds. At this point I noticed that it was not a dog but a medium size black panther. I would estimate the animal weighed approx.100 lbs to 150 lbs. I was standing about 50 ft. away from the black panther when it stopped walking and starred at me with its green eyes. After about 10 seconds it turned around and walked very slowly into the woods, toward the swift creek nursery. Last night was a full moon so it was possible to see without a flashlight, but after seeing the green eyes staring at me I knew it was a panther. (see also) http://skinnymoose.com/moosedroppings/2009/07/14/panther-seen-in-angier/
There is no REAL Animal known as a Carolina Pather There is no REAL wildAnimal known as a Carolina Panther. A black panther is a black (melanistic) colour variant of one of several species of larger cat which are known by the term panther in various parts of the world. "Panther" in North America is most commonly used for the cougar. (this posting is NOT about a political party) While these large cats a rarely seen, they are carnivores. Black panthers eat just about anything that moves as long as they are capable of catching it and their stomachs can handle. Medium-sized mammals make up their main diet in the wild. Occasionally, they supplement this meaty diet with grass, eggs, and fruit. Black panthers are able to adapt well to new environments or various circumstances. When necessary, they replace one kind of prey with another. In the case of a shortage of wild animals, they may catch livestock or pets near their home range. So while we do have plenty of deer, they do occasionally eat house cats and dogs.
http://www.dunndailyrecord.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=108664&SectionID=1&SubSectionID=&S=1 http://www.dunndailyrecord.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=109103&SectionID=1&SubSectionID=&S=1 My dad has seen one several times while deer hunting out toward the Percy Flowers/ Archers Lodge area last year!!! My dad only lives a few miles from the sighting posted in the Daily Record.
Wonder if they're eatin up all the snipe around here. Snipe seem to either be hard to find these days or they are very elusive.
Sure there is....... We expect them to be very good this year. They take the field for real starting September 13th. Now if you are talking about a Wildcat the jury is out on expectations, but they take the field starting August 21st
OMG Snipe Hunting....... My youngest son went to his dads this weekend and he came back SO mad! He said his dad had him standing in a tobacco field with a sack waiting for snipe. He said they lied to him. He stood there that whole time looking for snipe just to get eat up by mosquitoes!
While it is preseason their first game is on Aug. 17th.....a Monday night rematch between them and the Giants. And is slated to be shown on ESPN.
Politics and sports aside, this is an interesting post- it certainly seems possible, although unlikely. Heck, if I were a top-shelf predator like a cougar Johnston Co. would be a veritable buffet. oth, have you looked (in daylight...) for tracks where you had your experience?
Somehow, standing 50 feet from a 150 pound black jaguar or leopard, shining a flashlight in his eyes sounds typically curious but extraordinarily dangerous. A cat like that would make 50 feet in three bounds. If that were me, I'd take a shotgun and a camera out next time. All these sightings have got to point to something and it sure sounds like more than one cat. These types of sightings have been featured specifically about the Carolinas, starting as far back as the "Beast of Bladenboro" during the fifties and recently sightings near Bolivia (Brunswick County area) and just south of High Point. It seems these sightings are following natural wildlife trails around rivers and streams...specifically the Cape Fear River. I think the state is playing these stories off a bit too easily as "bobcat sightings" which most people could easily tell the difference, especially the long, black tail that is described by eyewitnesses. Why not set up IR automatic cameras in the areas that these sightings occur and use some deer carcasses for bait?
