Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

Samwin · (This post was last modified: 06-04-2010 04:50 PM by Samwin.)

They are beautiful.

They are reportedly in the area of Tennessee I'm in some of the time. My mother and her siblings said they saw them growing up in the surrounding woods a couple of times, but heard them frequently.

One of you mentioned that this was a scary thought. Are you just saying that because of the harm a fierce beast may cause a human, or were you referring to a more mystical danger?

I've read something about this, but I want to know what you think because what I've read depicts them as guardian spirits.

**scarygirl67** · 06-04-2010, 04:56 PM

I think they meant that it is a scary thought because a panther will not think twice about hiding in a tree and attacking a human being. I don't feel like being Tender Vittles for a ginormous cat!

As far as them being guardian spirits...I have read quite a bit about that actually. They are thought by many to bring protection and energy.

However, meeting one in the woods is not on my "to do" list for sure!

Samwin · 06-04-2010, 05:09 PM

(06-04-2010 04:56 PM)scarygirl67 Wrote: I think they meant that it is a scary thought because a panther will not think twice about hiding in a tree and attacking a human being. I don't feel like being Tender Vittles for a ginormous cat!

As far as them being guardian spirits...I have read quite a bit about that actually. They are thought by many to bring protection and energy.

scarygirl67,

Oh I see. Thanks a lot.

Quote:However, meeting one in the woods is not on my "to do" list for sure!

To the contrary, I found it oddly coincidental that this thread was posted. I could use a spirit guardian double time.

vzy4kat6387 · (This post was last modified: 06-05-2010 03:31 PM by vzy4kat6387.)

(06-04-2010 10:48 AM)FollowMeDown Wrote: HEYWORTH, ILLINOIS

Reported by locals, there are supposedly 2 baby black panthers living out in a park right on the outskirts of town. A few locals have said that they were raised by someone in town until he didn't want them anymore, and released them.

Others claim, that the sightings from March 2010 in Decatur, IL are linked to this one. That maybe these creatures have migrated, or are growing in number.

Either way, it's a scary thought. Panthers in a park of all places.

Has anyone heard anything on their end about Central Illinois?

I've never heard of that before, the only place I know of that has black panthers is Florida. And rainforest's I believe. And who ever raised them did wrong by raising them there in the first place then releasing them into the the city .. it is dangerous especially if one of them goes into a park with children in it there's no way really to get one of those big cats off of your child unless you spray it with pepper spray or have a gun or hit it repeatedly with a big stick or something. Other then that the guy should called up some wild life people and asked them to come pick up the black panther cubs.

**scarygirl67** · 06-05-2010, 07:57 PM

(06-04-2010 11:35 AM)UglyNRude Wrote: If you look at yours and the surrounding states you will see cougars have been verified as having returned to an area they once inhabited. While some are thought to be pets released most are thought to be coming from the Dakotas. Now some cougars are very dark with (while rare) some being reported to be black. So yes its possible some of the reports are true.

I found this link when I was looking up info about that...according to this, cougars roamed Illinois until about 120 years ago. The last ones were thought to have been killed in the later 1880's...so maybe someone actually "kilt a panther" in 1851! Still haven't found that stump though...and I know that area like the back of my hand.

http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield...luffs.html

CMF...you had me ROLLING on your post!

Samwin, what I did read about them as far as the belief that they can be protective spirits...the spirit of the panther is not negative, nor did I find any negative connotations about it.

1TxLady · 06-06-2010, 09:43 PM

(06-04-2010 11:35 AM)UglyNRude Wrote: If you look at yours and the surrounding states you will see cougars have been verified as having returned to an area they once inhabited. While some are thought to be pets released most are thought to be coming from the Dakotas. Now some cougars are very dark with (while rare) some being reported to be black. So yes its possible some of the reports are true.

I witnessed a black "cougar" on a mesa in the TX panhandle 2 months ago when I was up there. I watched it with a group of people as it drug a rather large doe into it's lair/den... a small cave near the top of the mesa. The guys were sure it was a cougar which would mean it was a melanistic cougar (which has not been documented). Therefore, I suppose it could have been a panther. Whether cougar or panther, it was very large. We were approximately a 100 yards from it plus or minus 10.

There were verified reports in Des Moines, IA (one in a tree above a child's swing set in the backyard) area and also in Bossier City, Louisiana again in a neighborhood in the last couple of years. The consensus at that time was that they are moving from their more westerly locations in search of food as the populations have grown.

LMC · (This post was last modified: 06-06-2010 10:52 PM by LMC.)

(06-04-2010 10:48 AM)FollowMeDown Wrote: HEYWORTH, ILLINOIS

Reported by locals, there are supposedly 2 baby black panthers living out in a park right on the outskirts of town. A few locals have said that they were raised by someone in town until he didn't want them anymore, and released them.

Others claim, that the sightings from March 2010 in Decatur, IL are linked to this one. That maybe these creatures have migrated, or are growing in number.

Either way, it's a scary thought. Panthers in a park of all places.

Has anyone heard anything on their end about Central Illinois?

I think who ever let them go like that was cruel & needs to be punished!!! how can they do that they might be nice & trust humans until they come upon cruel people then what???? will they be tortured to death??? poor panthers if they get hungry would they kill a person than what??? they will be killed cause they become man eaters... how stupid and unthoughtful this person was!!!!

this just breaks my heart!

(06-06-2010 09:43 PM)1txlady Wrote:
(06-04-2010 11:35 AM)UglyNRude Wrote: If you look at yours and the surrounding states you will see cougars have been verified as having returned to an area they once inhabited. While some are thought to be pets released most are thought to be coming from the Dakotas. Now some cougars are very dark with (while rare) some being reported to be black. So yes its possible some of the reports are true.

I witnessed a black "cougar" on a mesa in the TX panhandle 2 months ago when I was up there. I watched it with a group of people as it drug a rather large doe into it's lair/den... a small cave near the top of the mesa. The guys were sure it was a cougar which would mean it was a melanistic cougar (which has not been documented). Therefore, I suppose it could have been a panther. Whether cougar or panther, it was very large. We were approximately a 100 yards from it plus or minus 10.

There were verified reports in Des Moines, IA (one in a tree above a child's swing set in the backyard) area and also in Bossier City, Louisiana again in a neighborhood in the last couple of years. The consensus at that time was that they are moving from their more westerly locations in search of food as the populations have grown.

it's possible... my cousin lived in Florida she and her brother-in-law was stuck in his truck for almost an hour (cause he left the keys in the house) and watched a panther prowl around the yard when the sheriff got there he didn't believe them boy they said they never seen a cop run so fast back into his car when the animal control got there and traquilized {sorry can't spell} it was a black panther when they looked at his big sleeping body! and yes it was wild! they relocated the panther.

animal control told my cousin that it could of been a pet or something then let loose in the wild yet they have been getting reports that they have been traveling from south looking for another place to live cause people are out there killing the jungles they are from... so they need to live??? go figure aye!

**jadewik** · (This post was last modified: 06-22-2010 03:29 PM by jadewik.)

There's a cougar/puma/Mt Lion (they're all the same cat) that hangs out behind the food store near my work. He really loves the deli scraps they toss into the rubbish bin at the end of the day.

I've seen Mt. Lions, coyotes, bunnies, javelenas etc. all over town-- just running down the street without a care in the world. They use the washes to get 'round town and then occasionally cross through the city streets. I remember there being some reported wild animals parading about the city in the papers. They never could catch the animal. There's a reason I keep my cats inside during the evening and cooler parts of the day.

So... more to the topic. Very, very possible that there is an animal such as a jaguar or other giant cat roaming the city streets in Illinois. Animals are very good at blending in and adapting to their surroundings. They wouldn't be very good predators if they didn't blend in.

Edit in: At first I thought this would be about the Beat of Exmoore... but then I got to the Illinois part.

parasearch · 06-22-2010, 09:37 PM

after those pics, if anyone thinks i will EVER make that trip to illinois, or wherever it was, no way!! we have cougars here in nc, or mountain lions, or whatever you wanna call them. but they stay in the mountains for now.
if i came there to vacation, me being from nc, i'd probably smell like a hamhock or something to him. or a porkchop, and he'd find me .QUICK!! ID BE ON THE MENU, AND THATS NOT HAPPENING!!!!
YOU GUYS KEEP THEM UP THERE.OUR COUGARS , THEY KNOW WHATS UP IF THEY TRY TO JUMP ONE OF US!!THEY WILL BE TRACKED DOWN WITHIN JUST A FEW MINUTES AND ITS OVER,,,THATS JUST SCARY....BUT I CAN TELL YOU HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM?CALL NEW YORK,, HAVE THEM SHIP ONE OF THEIR AVERAGE WARF RATS TO YOU.
TURN THE RAT LOOSE IN THE LAST PLACE ONE OF THE ANIMALS WERE SEEN. YOU'LL HEAR THE RAT ON THE HUNT. HE'LL BE SAYING, "HERE KITTY KITTY KITTY"! IT WONT BE LONG THEN!! Icontexto-emoticons-04-032x032

**scarygirl67** · 06-22-2010, 09:55 PM

Dude, you are so not kidding about those rats...I've been to New York and I've seen 'em...darn things are the size of a dog!

My dad told me about driving down a county highway one night and seeing something dart across the road...of course he played it off to a trick of the eyes, but when we had a special on one of our local television shows about panther sightings in Central Illinois....I was not imagining it when I saw his ears perk up...and I swear I saw him shiver a little bit!