PANTHER PANDEMONIUM or "CAT-SCRATCH FEVER"

The following is a chronological listing of "Phantom Feline" reports that have allegedly occurred in the eastern United States from 1984 to 1987. I have collected these incidents solely from newspaper accounts, so I cannot positively verify all of them. However, there is plenty of evidence to substantiate the existence of these mysterious felines from places you would never think of. I will follow the listing with a brief synopsis of possible origins.

(Illustrations by (the late) Tim Curry.

1. May 30, 1984: Manchester, Michigan - Police Chief, William Zsenyuk reported four sightings of a "black panther" over a three day period. Witnesses said they saw a "cat-like" black animal with pointed ears and a tail 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall. The animal was said to weigh between 100 to 150 pounds. Zsenyuk would not disclose any of the witnesses' names, but stated that some of the sightings were by police. A liver-bated trap was set by the Huron Valley Humane Society. (Detroit Free Press; 5/30/96)

2. June 6, 1984: Manchester, Michigan - More sightings of a black leopard have federal game officials concerned. Chief Zsenyuk and deputies equipped with tranquilizer rifles believed they surrounded the animal around 4:30 am. Somehow the cat managed to get behind them, as they heard a blood-curdling scream. Manchester police were aided by the Detroit officials with a helicopter and tracking dogs. Don Burger, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Officer saw the animal through a night scope. Burger believes it is a black leopard, probably a female and weighing about 100 pounds. (Detroit Free Press 6/9/84; 7/17/84)

3. July 11, 1984: Wixom, Michigan - At 4:00 am, Rhonda Marshall was delivering newspapers when she turned onto a street and her headlights illuminated a panther lying in the grass. marshall said it was bigger than a german shepherd. (Detroit Free Press 7/17/84)

4. July 12, 1984: Wixom, Michigan - At 11;20 am, Ken St. jean witnessed a large cat roaming through the property of a paving company: He was loading black top into a truck when he saw it run across a driveway. St. jean watched as it made an easy leap over an eight foot fence. (Detroit Free Press 7/17/84)

5. July 14, 1984: Wixom, Michigan - Wixom Police Sgt. Vern Darlington saw a five-foot-long cat during the night. It was resting near the runway of Spencer Airport. This was the tenth feline report in the Wixom area and fourteenth report in Manchester. (Detroit News 7/20/84

6. July 17, 1984: Coloma, Michigan - Two soft-drink delivery men saw a medium-sized cougar near a supermarket. ( No names mentioned.) (Detroit News 7/20/84

7. July 18, 1984: Location unknown, but believed to be in the vicinity of Manchester. Michigan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife authorities and Chief Zsenyuk set up a trap consisting of reinforced wire and enclosing a smaller trap to house a chicken for bait. However, it did not bag the panther. Meanwhile, two women sighted a large cat running across a lawn east of Coloma. (No names mentioned) (Detroit Free Press 7/19/84; Detroit News 7/20/84

8. July 20, 1984: Manchester, Wixom, Coloma and Grand Rapids, Michigan - Authorities now believe that there may be three or four panthers roaming about in lower Michigan. It is thought that they may be escaped pets. Many theories are circulating. (More on this later...editor) (Detroit News 7/20/84)

9. August 13, 1984: Flint, Michigan - Three employees of the Fisher Body plant witnessed a large cat in any alley across from the factory at about 8:30am. William Routhier told authorities that the cat had a long tail. Four other sightings of a black panther were reported in Flint's suburbs. (Flint Journal 8/14/84)

10. December 3, 1984: Flint, Michigan - Truckdriver, Craig Wadsworth claimed to have almost run- over a panther at about 6:30 am. Wadsworth said the creature stopped, looked at him and then scurried off into the darkness. ( Flint Journal 12/4/84) December 3, 1984: Cincinnati, Ohio - Lillian Smith told police and zoo officials that she heard and saw a lion in the community of North Avondale. Paw prints 21/2-3 inches in diameter were discovered nearby. (Cincinnati Enquirer 12/4/84)

11. July & August, 1985: Michigan City and La Porte, Indiana - App. 40 people reported an alleged panther to the Michigan City Police Department. Many witnesses said the melanin would quickly vanish into the wooded areas. Detective Kenneth waltz said that the creature is about four foot long and weighs about 150 pounds. He believes to have found dung and paw prints that resemble a human double fist; indicative of a cat print. La Porte, Indiana received 10 panther reports during this two month time span. (Chicago Sun Times 9/5/85; Chicago Tribune 10/31/85)

12. August 17, 1985: La Porte, Indiana - Louis keen saw a strange cat-like animal while working at a power plant at about 5:30 pm. Keen described it as a cougar that "rolled-in coal". Another employee of the Indiana Public Service saw it through binoculars and confirmed Keen's testimony. (Chicago Sun Times 9/5/85)

13. August 29, 1985: La Porte, Indiana - Jim Williams was driving home when a shadow crossed the road. When Williams turned on his bright headlights, he saw that it was a panther crossing a lawn. He later reported the incident to police. (Chicago Sun Times 9/5/85)

14. July 10, 1986: Milford, Michigan - A $3000 palomino quarter horse was found dead on the ranch of Selvio Fini. He discovered the horse that afternoon with its neck broken and clawed. Around 12:00 midnight, Fini and officer Rick Sharpe (Milford Police) saw a large melanin cat running into the nearby woods. Sharpe took two shots at the animal, but missed. (Detroit Free press 7/12/86; Detroit news 7/12/86, 7/14/86, 7/19/86)

15. July 11 & 12, 1986: Milford, Michigan - Milford Police stake-out Fini's ranch. State Police provide infrared viewing on rifles and the General Motors proving Grounds loan their infrared surveillance scopes. Around midnight, four officers observe a large feline in an open pasture. At 1:00am, Officer Thomas Callahan shoot at the animal, but was unsure if he hit it. The cat was no loner visible for the remainder of the morning. (Detroit News 7/14/86)

16. Week of July 7, 1986: Pontiac, Michigan - residents of Oakland County have reported a Bobcat in the area. Pontiac officials found paw prints on a dusty disabled automobile. Animal Control Officer, Linda Need said that the prints were too large to be a domestic cat. James Coleman told police he has seen a bobcat several times near his home on East Pike. Coleman said he tried to trap it and on one occasion, threw a brick at it. (Detroit News 7/12/86)

17. July 13, 1986: Milford, Michigan - During the afternoon, Selvio Fini shot at the mysterious animal. He found drops of blood, but a heavy rain washed the remains away before police arrive. Authorities reported to the scene with tracking dogs and a helicopter. the animal managed to evade hunters again. Fini described it as being black, about 5 feet long and weighing about 190 pounds. Detroit Zoo spokesman Steve Graham said that it is "not impossible" that this is the same animal spotted in 1984. (Detroit News 7/14/86)

18. Week of July 14, 1986: Milford, Michigan - Federal Game Officers converge in the area to attempt to either tranquilize or trap the animal(s). Don Berger of the USF&W Service believes the cat is a leopard, possibly the same one from 1984. Douglass Andrews - who is an officer fro the U.S. Department of Agriculture Damage Control Division - will attempt to trap or kill the "leopard". Berger also believes that someone illegally brought a pair of leopards into Michigan fro breeding. Large numbers of reporters and vigilantes have invaded Fini's ranch. Fini claims that the animal is still in the vicinity, as his dogs and horses have been acting strange. (Detroit News 7/19/86)

19. July 27, 1986: Nicholson, Pennsylvania - Carl Eastwood was walking along State Route 92 at 6:00 am, when he observed a large stripped cat that looked similar to a tiger. It ran from some bushes about 50 feet from him, then turned around and ran back out-of-sight. Later in the afternoon, state police spotted the tiger with a helicopter, but lost it in the thick woods of Wyoming County. (Scranton Times 7/28/86

20. July 28, 1986: Wyoming and Susquehanna Counties, Pennsylvania - State police continue the tiger hunt with a search of a 10 mile perimeter focusing on the two bordering counties. Authorities use a deer carcass to lure the cat, but to no avail. Police contact the Bently Brothers Circus and Buk Young, whom collect large felines. However, Young and circus officials maintain that their cats were accounted for. (Scranton Times 7/29/86)

21. July 29, 1986: Newton Township, Pennsylvania - Gary Steier - a school teacher claimed that he and his family saw a large orange cat in high grass about 200 yards away from their porch. Steier reported that it was big, orange and long and lopping. Later, Steier was visited by two policemen; one from Falls Township and the other from newton Township. Steier overheard an unusual conversation between them about who might own a tiger. Steier notified state police and they said an investigation would begin. (Scranton Times 7/30/86)

22. July 30, 1986: Jackson, Pennsylvania - Cindy Belmont and her brother saw a huge cat in a pasture. The animal seemed to be beige in color, with a long tail. Police found matted grass and possible prints. The Belmonts insisted that they saw the cat running with a collie. Miss belmont - who is an amateur wildlife photographer - said that the "tiger" appeared to be tame. It did not attack any farm animals. An anonymous woman called the Montrose Humane Society to report that a white tiger was set out by a Nicholson man who is facing a law suit from his landlord because of the tiger's damage to an apartment. State Police reported receiving 10 calls per hour from the counties of Wyoming, Lackawana, Pike and Susquehanna Counties. Switch boards were jammed with "cat" reports. Police began to suspect that the cat-at-large was an escaped pet. Several sightings had different descriptions. One report was of a white tiger, while another sighting was of a 350 pound brown cat with white spots. The original report depicted an orange and black stripped cat. (Scranton Times 7/30/86, 7/31/86)

23. August 4, 1986: Waukegan, Illinois - At 2:50 am, a lion was reported by local residents of an apartment complex. The animal was described as having a fluffy crop of fur on its tail and cropped hair on its back. Police checked zoos and a circus, but came up empty-handed. That morning, a police day shift officer remembered a photograph of a strange looking junk yard dog. Ten policemen and an animal control officer were dispatched to Hussey's Wrecker Service after searching the 2700 block of Westwood Avenue. It was at this location where the found Henny - a German Shepherd owned by Mike Hussey. The dog had an unusual trim that was created by Canine Creations for the purpose of keeping cool during the summer and to discourage thefts. Henny had escaped the junk yard through an opening in the fence, thus creating the lion scare. (Chicago Sun Times 8/5/86)

24. December 18, 1986: East Carondelet, Illinois - A phantom feline is said to be roaming about and killing pet dogs. A footprint measuring 3 1/2 inches long was obtained by Thomas Amlung from the St. Clair County Animal Control. Experts from the St. Louis Zoo believe the animal is an escaped or abandoned pet because Illinois recently enacted a law prohibiting keeping such animals. An unidentified East Carondelet man was driving home at 3:00am when a black leopard struck the front of his bumper. The driver believes he saw a patch of white on its chest. Mayor Herb Simmons and police Chief Skip Mize found some good tracks, but there was no evidence of blood or hair on the car bumper. Simmons and Mize both claim to have seen this animal a few weeks ago using a spotlight from a police cruiser. They said that it was coal black. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch 12/18/86, 12/19/86) 25. February 20, 1987: East Carondelet, Illinois - An unidentified woman believes she saw the same creature under a street light outside her home. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch 3/5/87)

25. February 22, 1987: Between Dup and Cahokia, Illinois - Frank and Rosie Armstrong were driving home when they saw the cat eating on a dead carcass in the middle of Stolle Road. The couple were surprised at the animal's lack of fear from humans and automobiles. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch 3/5/87

26. May 29, 1987: Nauvoo, Alabama - Mayor Higgins has told the press that there has been a half- dozen sightings of a large, black cat running loose in the small town. The "black cougar" has been seen on porches and in yards. "Too many people have seen it to discount it as a hoax", said Higgins. Police Chief w.R. Butler is investigating. (Tuscaloosa News 5/29/87

27. June 14, 1987: Vineland, New Jersey - Allen and Carol Davis claim that they have heard and seen some type of large animal in the woods outside their home. State Police Detective Sgt. William Prato says that he has received reports of a large black cat with a long tail. He stated that a "panther" could be combing the densely wooded areas of Vineland, Cumberland County and Pittsgrove Township near the Maurice River Parkway. This animal has been attacking dogs, cats, horses and other livestock for about five months. (Newark Star-Ledger 6/23/87)

28. June 19, 1987: Vineland, New Jersey - Officials of the Division of Fish, game and Wildlife set traps out in the southwestern area. They discovered a paw print, but officials disagree over the origin. Clumps of black hair were found on a door of an are home and were sent to state police for analysis. the print measured about four inches in diameter. Vineland Police Captain James Forcinito has received many reports of a large, black cat. He said that one resident of Pittsgrove told police he saw a panther or leopard with a large tail. (Newark Star-Ledger 6/23/87)

29. August 15, 1987: Elkins, West Virginia - Benny McWilliams and a companion saw a cougar from about 100 feet away. The teenager described the animal as tan in color with a tail that was three to four feet long. WVDNR officials remain skeptical. They believe it could be someone's exotic pet. (West Virginia Advocate 9/14/87)

30. September 21, 1987: Millstadt, Illinois - Chuck Hudgins and his young son were coming out of the woods in St. Clair County when they saw some large tracks. Hudgins told police he saw two men hunting, when moments later, he heard two shots and saw a large cat leap on the side of the road and into a soybean patch. The incident was reported to Thomas Amlung, who later investigated and believes to have found a den, where the grass and weeds had been trampled on. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch 9/23/87)

End of Listing

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Wildlife authorities are no different from cryptozoologists - They constantly disagree over theories, origins and methodology. This is just the case when it comes to trying to explain the "phantom feline" enigma. I have received correspondence from various state conservationists and federal wildlife officials. I have read the many newspaper quotes and not one agency seems to agree on anything, except, perhaps the escaped pet theory.

The escaped and/or abandon hypothesis seems to be the most logical explanation, but that also has its limitations. Consider the testimony of Cindy Belmont, who allegedly saw the Pennsylvania tiger. She stated that the feline appeared tame and was running with a domesticated canine. According to George Lowry -of the Nay Aug Park Zoo in Scranton - the presence of a dog would fit the pet theory.

"To have a big cat with a dog, I would say it is not unusual if you were keeping the cat as a pet. In Europe, its very common to have nanny dogs when hand-raising a litter of cats", said Lowery.

In Tennessee, it is simple to get a license to raise an exotic pet. An estimated 60 people in that state raise cougars. Illinois recently passed legislation prohibiting breeding and raising such animals. Laws on such pets vary from state to state, but many individuals keep such animals that authorities are not aware of. It is also illegal to import certain types of felines into the United States from abroad. There is a great deal of money to be made in furs.

Chief Zsenyuk - of Manchester, Michigan - believes the "panthers" may be the pet of a drug dealer. He said its not unusual for a "dealer" to have exotic pets, as the Drug Enforcement Agency arrested a suspected dealer who had pet peacocks. This theory could hold merit, especially if you were hiding a marijuana field.

Considering all the above mention theories still leaves us with some unanswered questions. How come these animals are hardly ever captured? Why do the reports come in waves? Why are there separate incidents in different states over the same time frame? It would seem improbable that there is an on-going conspiracy to release pet panthers in the U.S.

There seems to be little question of credibility of such reports. After all, Don Burger - of the USFWS - saw a black leopard. This is further substantiated by a letter I received from James Engle, from the USFWS Chief of Endangered Species Division. Engle says that his agency has an interest in the sightings of the eastern cougar (Felis Concolor), and a black one would be extremely rare. Steve Bircher of the St. Louis Zoo tells me that they receive reliable reports of melanistic cats and that they are listed as endangered species in Missouri. Of course, he is referring to cougars, as leopards and jaguars are not indigenous to that region. Dr. Amlung is convinced there is a large cat roaming in southern Illinois.

Officials of the Division of Natural Resources for Ohio and West Virginia are skeptical of cougars in their states, even though they receive many reports. they usually write off such incidents as being wild dogs or coyotes. the canine family may attack livestock in a similar fashion and the only way an expert can tell is by measurement of the wounds.

There does seem to be an unusual phenomena behind these reports.. perhaps the old saying is true: "CATS HAVE NINE LIVES".

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From CREATURE CHRONICLES #14 October, 1991 Editor: Ron Schaffner

MICHIGAN'S PANTHER RETURNS

This Elusive Creature Has Evaded Wildlife Authorities In Southern Michigan Since 1984

Reports continue to trickle in about the panther flap in Michigan. (The com- plete listing of sightings appeared in Creature Chronicles 12.) The latest episode has occurred in Hillsdale Coun- ty.

On February 6 &7 of this year, the Kenneth Vincent family captured the beastie on video tape. The animal was seen in a hay field near their house. The creature was about 4 feet long and was taped from a distance of 200 yards.

"Yes, it is a panther," said Robert Like, who is a Natural Resources Officer. "There is no other explanation."

"It wasn't a dog or fox, but a large black cat. We are convinced it is a black panther", said Kevin Vincent.

The family had held off reporting the feline, so that it would have time to leave the area. They did not want any hunters invading their property.

There has been all kinds of speculation over the years about what this animal is. Most authorities believe it is an escaped pet, either a leopard or a jaguar. Saginaw News 2/17/90

The escaped pet theory is highly possible. Consider the following story from 1989:

Harvey Leighton, of Lake County, Ohio was charged with a first-degree misdemeanor for violating a law pro- hibiting the keeping of an exotic pet. Police had received a tip that he was keeping a black panther in his barn. I 1983, Leighton was sighted for having eight big cats, including tigers, a lion and a puma.

Columbus Dispatch 11/7/89

Ron Schaffner