The MonsterQuest Search for Black Panthers in New York

Recently, New York residents have been reporting an alarming number of black panther sightings. Eyewitnesses describe these big cats as muscular, approximately 8 feet long, 130 pounds, rounded ears, long tails, and with razor sharp teeth. Experts agree that there has not been an indigenous big cat population in New York for over a hundred years. The MonsterQuest Team investigates what is behind these big cat sightings in the episode entitled “Tigers in the Suburbs”.

Background

Residents of the Palisades, New York area reported over a dozen big cat sightings in early 2009. Dorian Tunnel saw two black panthers in New York’s Tallman State Park on 17 March, 2009. He was bike riding with his son when he heard a thrashing sound in the woods. He then saw a large black panther jumping over a rock about 25 yards away. He spotted a second big cat crouched as if waiting in ambush. He states that both cats had a very shiny black coat of fur. He was able to retreat from the area with his son without incident.

Grace Knowlton of Palisades New York had heard the stories of the black panther sighting but did not give them much thought. Then on 14 March 2009, she spotted a large black panther crossing her lawn. She states that it was much larger then any domestic cat. She describes the animal as being pitch black with a shiny coat.

Professional tracker Shane Hobel believes that he has found proof of these black panthers in the Palisades, New York area. He has found the tracks of what he believes to be a big cat. The tracks were found in an area where he has found more and more deer kills that are different from the normal coyote kills. Hobel has also located what he believes to be the claw marks of a large cat on a tree in the area.

The black panther term is used to describe a big cat with black fur. It is not a species of cat but rather a descriptive phrase that may be used on members of different species. The two species that can produce black panthers are leopards and jaguars. The Leopard is not native to the Americas at all. The jaguar was once found in the southwest United States but was eradicated by farmers in the late 1800s. Currently, jaguar populations are found only in central America and South America. In the MonsterQuest episode Lions in the Suburbs, there was evidence presented that jaguars may be returning to the southwest United States.

The only big cat that is thought to be indigenous to the United States is the mountain lion. This cat is also known by the name of cougar. The current range of the mountain lion is from Washington State to western Texas. The east coast did at one time have a mountain lion population but they were eradicated. New York’s mountain lion population was eliminated by 1900. Mountain lions have never been documented with black fur and experts agree that this mutation is unlikely.

Scott Lope is the Director of Big Cat Rescue and he believes that many of the New York big cat sightings may be a result of misidentification. He believes that it is hard to judge the size of a creature from a distance. If it is at night, dusk or dawn, the judging of size becomes even more difficult. The eyewitnesses may be seeing a black lab or a large domestic cat.

Lope believes that another possible explanation is that the witnesses saw an escaped exotic animal. 15,000 big cats are kept in captivity across the United States with only a fraction of them housed in accredited zoos. It is believed that there are more big cats in captivity in the U.S. then are in the wild throughout the world. Many states do not regulate the ownership of exotic animals. New York City is the home of 103 registered big cats and there are probably many more undocumented ones.

The first captive big cat brought to the United States was a leopard that was displayed in New York in 1768. Since that time, the number of captive big cats has grown along with the number of escapes and attacks. In 2000, a four year old boy was bitten by a 40 pound pet serval that was being taken for a walk by its owner. In 2003, a 400 pound Bengal tiger was found in a New York City apartment by authorities after injuring its owner. A four year old was mauled in upstate New York by her grandmother’s caged cougar.

Scott Lope explains that these animals start out as cute cubs and quickly grow into fearsome predators that their owners may not know what to do with. If one escapes, the owner may not report this to authorities out of fear of liability.

The story of Donald Blakney demonstrates the dangers of captive big cats. Blakney had raised cougars on his farm in Princeton, Minnesota for 3 ½ years. On 1 October 2001, he was attacked by one of his 250 pound cougars. He was bit in the head repeatedly by the two inch fangs of the cougar. The cougar eventually broke off the attack and Blakney was able to call for help. He was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. The big cat attack left him with 96 stitches and a metal replacement for part of his jaw.

These escaped big cats may be even more dangerous than their counterparts in the wild. Brian Werner is the Executive Director of the Tiger Missing Link Foundation and he believes that inbreeding may be causing serious damage to the captive big cat population. Many “backyard breeders” of pet big cats pay no attention to genetic diversity and may be severely inbreeding their cats. Inbred big cats can display a number of health problems in addition to abnormal and aggressive behavior.

The Investigation

The MonsterQuest Team undertakes two investigations in this episode. The first is an expedition to New York to search for the mysterious black panther. The second is the genetic testing of captive big cats to find the degree of inbreeding in the population.

Palisades, New York Expedition

Monsterquest sends four experts to Palisades, New York to investigate the black panther sightings. Animal tracker Mark Peterson, photographer/technology expert Jeremy Holden and wildlife expert Dick Pearson will be conducting the search for a black panther. Mammal expert Dr. Esteban Sarmiento will be examining their findings as well as examining the evidence presented by local tracker, Shane Hobel.

The team places motion sensing wireless cameras throughout the area. They use areas near rock outcroppings and game trails as these would be good locations for an ambush predator like a big cat. To help with seeing the reported dark coloration of the black panther, they install infrared LEDs with the cameras.

The team will attempt to use an air gun with DNA darts in order to collect proof of the black panther sightings. The DNA darts are able to extract a dermal and epidermal samples from the target. The gun is fitted with a light intensifying night scope.

On the first night, they set up in a blind near a river bank. The area has game trails around it so they believe it may be a good spot. They use decoy calls in order to try to attract big cats to the area. On subsequent searches, they use a canoe to glide along the river in search of the big cat. Their night searches turn up no cat sightings.

Sarmiento meets with Hobel to examine the big cat signs that he has found. Sarmiento agrees that the tracks and claw marks belong to a big cat. The tracks appear to be too small for a tiger or lion and Sarmiento believes they could belong to a leopard. Leopards can be black which would fit with the local black panther sightings.

Review of the camera traps does not show any black panthers but it does provide some supporting evidence. The photos show that the area has an overabundance of potential food for a big cat. The white tail deer population is extremely plentiful and would more than support black panther population.

The team reviews all of the evidence and agrees that it is possible that an escaped exotic cat is in the area. The most likely species would be a leopard. The terrain and food supply would allow the creature to survive in the area.

Captive Tiger Genetic Profiling

MonsterQuest arranges to check the DNA profiles of 30 captive tigers for signs of inbreeding. Will Gergits of Therion International LLC conducts the DNA tests from obtained blood samples. Results of the test indicate that over half of the tigers showed signs of moderate to severe inbreeding. This situation could lead to more aggressive behavior in the captive big cat population.

Conclusions

While no definitive proof of a black panther could be found in New York, many experts agree that it is possible for this creature to exist. The most likely explanation would be an escaped big cat from a private owner. Increased numbers of privately held big cats have made this more and more likely. Genetic tests of captive big cats have shown that this type of creature may be even more dangerous than their wild counterparts.

MonsterQuest Episode: Tigers in the Suburbs

Original Air Date: 19 August 2009