The mystery of black leopards in Kansas!? (Neodesha, Toronto: coop, house)

[kanhawk]

When I was a kid growing up in southeast Kansas in the 1960s we had a cabin in the black oak forest near Toronto. One day, while riding on a dirt road through the forest, a large black cat, the size of a cougar came charging out of the woods and ran along side the car. My Mom only caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye but I saw it straight on. Later, we went back to the area and saw large paw prints along side the tire tracks.
Years later, I was talking to someone from Neodesha and without telling him what I'd seen, casually asked him if he had ever heard stories of people spotting large black cats in area and he told me several people had told stories of seeing large black cats in the woods around there.
I am reminded of this because of this story out of Neosho, MO:

Cat killed in Missouri identified as leopard - USATODAY.com

About a black leopard killed by sheriff's deputies on May 19th. No one had reported a pet like that missing. Maybe it was part of a family of cats let loose years ago and living in the woods in the area.
Has anyone ever heard or seen of these cats in Kansas? Some in my family were skeptical of my story but I know what I saw. The cat was only a few feet from the car window when I saw it. Now one has actually been killed in that area of the country.

[hoopjumper]

Yes sir! My husband and I saw one run across the highway in front of us one time. It crossed from ditch to ditch in about two strides---way too big for a house cat! It was black and no doubt in your mind what it was. Saw that one and then saw one close to St. Joe just sitting and licking it's chest like you've seen house cats do. Both cats were sleek and black.

Had a friend that walked to lose weight--she lives in the country -- about a half mile from town and she actually saw a cougar--which is a light tan color -- sitting in the weeds watching her. She takes her dog and a stick with her now when she goes for a walk.

And we've seen paw prints in the dust in our haybarn--you know the fine silty dust that accumulates--- BIG footprint--not a bobcat--but larger than that.

So--people can tell me house cats all they want---but I KNOW what I saw. I know the difference between a farm cat and a cougar. We thought the black ones were cougars too---until someone told us about black leopards and jaguars. They aren't quite as heavily built as a cougar or puma. But they still make the hair on my arms raise up and my heart race when I see one!

The cats I mentioned above were all seen in Brown County and Doniphan County, Kansas -- very NE corner.

I work for a Coop which has agronomists who scout crop fields for insects and weeds. One of our guys was crossing a waterway---tall weeds---and came almost face to face with a cougar a year ago. He froze and the cat left. Wasn't no house cat there either!

[esya]

Just a joke: They escaped from the houseplant pots and lamps that were popular in the 1950s and thrived in the Kansas climate with plenty of small game to live off of.

This is not to say I do not believe that there could be either cougars, or black cougars, or the offspring of cougars and panthers living in Kansas today.

[hoopjumper]

Some of these cats are eating a little more than just small game -- try calves, sheep, pigs and deer! These cats eat very nicely--and usually they don't have to work real hard to catch them either.

[Gretchen B]

I don't know if this info helps, but where I live in northern Arizona, there have been reports of a black cougar on the west side of town (in an area where there are lots of pine trees). The Indians have a name for it - I think it was something like Yetti of the Desert, which meant black cat. And there are also leopards in SE Arizona. They're very rare, though, and seldom seen.

When I lived in South Central Nebraska, an older farm lady, said she had seen a cougar (just a regular tan type) on their place several times over the years.

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

I'm curious as to why they are sure its one that is NOT originally from the US.
Its my understanding that there are few differences in some of them so that they have to be tested to look for genetic differences.
My parents had a cougar near them in Colorado. Of course he wasn't black but a spontaneous gene mutation could happen like that.

Here is a picture of the wild kitty we have here in Florida, it could easily give birth to a baby that is all black.

http://mistermittens.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/florida_panther_with_cub.jpg (broken link)

[Mathguy]

A black cougar, or possibly a panther (basically the same thing) is the most likely thing.

I would view the leopard as an escaped exotic (There are thousands in the US) and unlike cougars I've not heard of black leopards so I'd really doubt there is a hidden population of black leopards in the midwest.

Even Buffalo occasionally pop out black or even white and squirrels have a WIDE range in coloration too.

No question that mountain lions are becoming much much more common in the US. There are so many wild deer, they are thriving.

I live in the middle of one of the KC suburbs and I have seen Owls, fox, coyote, bobcat and turkey the middle of town but no cougars YET.

[hoopjumper]

We've seen cougars off and on for years around here. No one (officials) would believe any of the sightings--but there are pictures and people are starting to hit them on the highways killing them. So now the officials have gone from saying there are none--to they must be escaped pets--yeeeaaahhh right-----they would be considered exotic and must be registered and no registered ones seem to be missing---soooooo

Funny---there was a fellow in a town south of us that shot one and put it in his basement freezer---guess who showed up on his doorstep wanting the cougar---seemed the cougar had a microchip in it. The story around here is that officials turned "male" cougars loose to help control the deer population several years ago to which the officials deny that possibility.

Growing up (my family's been on the same farm for 125 years)--we never ever saw one, heard one or heard of anyone else seeing one anywhere in this corner of Kansas. The first one I ever heard was about 15 to 16 years ago. The sound of the cat cut right through your very soul. My horses went frantic and I didn't even get in with them for two days until they calmed down.

I physically saw my first cougar or whatever you want to call it---about 5 years ago crossing the highway in front of us. The second one I saw was about 2 or 3 years ago. And now we have all kinds of people telling us they've seen them and one the other day was only a quarter mile from the city limits.

Have a fellow employee who has a horse in Tarkio, MO and one morning he found his horse with long deep scratch marks on his hips. Horse refused to go near the barn. He thinks the cat was on the barn roof and jumped on the horse only to be kicked or frightened off.

I personally do not believe these cats came from pet escapees at all. I think they were released to control the deer population and in the meantime--the cats have taken a fancy to other mealtime animals--not just deer! Can't prove anything---you'd have to have pictures and then they would tell you that it was just an overgrown housecat!!! Pleeeaassseeee----how stupid do the officials think we are anyway?????

[kanhawk]

I actually have a theory about some of these black cats and also tan cougars being spotted. First, the wildlife biologists who poo-poo these sightings for full of it. There are too many people who have had too many spottings.
So, I think some other posters are right that cougars have been making their way back into Kansas. This was after all, up until 100 years ago or so, part of their natural habitat. It is also possible a few are black in color. We know black panthers exist in Southern Mexico and it isn't impossible a few them could also wonder this far north.

Another more exotic possibility is this:
For generations circuses criss-crossed the midwest going from small town to small town. Many of these old circuses were also traveling zoos with lots of exotic animals. It is possible some black cats escaped over the years, lived an isolated existence and then died alone. If one escaped from a circus, the carnies, being who they are would not likely report an escaped animal to the police. That might even explain the black leopard killed in Neosho, MO. Lots of possibilities.

[rnc76]

Originally Posted by Lindsey_Mcfarren

I'm curious as to why they are sure its one that is NOT originally from the US.
Its my understanding that there are few differences in some of them so that they have to be tested to look for genetic differences.
My parents had a cougar near them in Colorado. Of course he wasn't black but a spontaneous gene mutation could happen like that.

Here is a picture of the wild kitty we have here in Florida, it could easily give birth to a baby that is all black.

http://mistermittens.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/florida_panther_with_cub.jpg (broken link)

Cougars are all spotted when they are babies. They lose their spots when they mature. There has never been a documented case of a "black cougar". Even with jaguars and leopards, it is very rare in nature.

Here is a cool website that is tracking the apparent migration of cougars eastward. They are using scientific criteria to determine a legitimate sighting.

The Cougar Network - Using Science to Understand Cougar Ecology