Somebody sent these to my dad, with this note:
"This lion was hit between Cherry Reservoir Road and High Knob area (near Wise, VA) by a car. Game and Fish had to come and put him down.
He charged at the Fish and Game guy in the process. Look at his PAWS!"
I don't know whether this is true, or just one of those Internet deals.
A while back, I posted here with a link that still works to a piece about mountain lion sightings in Southwest Virginia.
There's no word yet on whether the lion was in town for the latest hearing on the Virginia City power plant, or if he was en route to see the animal lobbyists in St. Paul or Clintwood.
UPDATE: In the comments, Carl Kilo has forwarded the news article from the Coalfield Progress showing the lion story was a hoax debunked on Snopes.com - a real cat but from Arizona. Ah, the joys of the Internet.
SECOND UPDATE: Brian Peterson in the comments says the cat wasn't in Parkersburg, before it wasn't in Wise.
14 comments:
From Todays Coalfield Progress
Rumor of mountain lion a hoax
KEITH STRANGE / Staff Writer
If you’re one of the numerous people who received an e-mail over the past couple of weeks alleging that a mountain lion was killed in Wise County, you’re not alone.
But never fear . . . it has been determined that the report is untrue.
According to Snopes.com — a Web site dedicated to urban legends — the e-mail and accompanying photos have been circulating across the country.
“The reported recovery of a cougar by Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries staff variously reported as near Big Cherry Reservoir, High Knob, or Norton in Wise County, is a hoax,” said Allen Boynton, regional wildlife biologist for the department. “There are no mountain lions in Wise County.”
The mountain lion was actually killed in Arizona, although the Web site reports that similar rumors have circulated in West Virginia, Kentucky, Wisconson and Arkansas, as well.
Boynton said he doesn’t consider the hoax amusing.
“While some people may think this is funny, it’s actually cost us a lot of time and effort and has taken us away from doing our jobs,” he said.
For more information about the urban legend, visit www.snopes.com/photos/animals/mountainlion2007.asp.
Hey, Steve! This cat has really been making the rounds. It was seen near Parkersburg, WV not too long ago. It had to be debunked by WTAP News.
http://www.wtap.com/home/headlines/16091197.html
I have acctually seen an black panther about 5 miles from my house and my younger sister while leaving one evening seen it about 1 mile from my house. I live in Dickenson Co. Those big cats really do exist around here!
i have seen a large black cat twice in Russell co.. My fiance seen it cross the road where i live before as well..These animals do exist around here.. What is it an overachieving house cat?
Guys Im sorry to say that these cats DO NOT exist in these parts and have not existed in this area for nearly 200 years.
All reported sightings of these cats are on the same level of bigfoot sightings.
Why has one never made legitment news? Why has one never been killed or captured?
People WANT to believe that these cats stil exist like Fox Mulder wants to believe in UFO'S!
What about big cats in Johnson County, Tennessee ?
I own property on the Carroll Floyd Co. line and know of four cougar sightings in the past five years. Whoever says they haven't existed for 200 years either doesn't know what he is talking about or it is his job to say so(I wonder why?)
These Cat's are here,I have seen two.My soninlaw was with me on one of the sighting's a few year's ago. neither of us is a "crackhead" a Drunkard or pot head. WE KNOW WHAT WE SAW!
I have grown up in wise county ,on the head of guest river.And Iam here to say if you havent seen one of these BIG CATS ,you have not been at the right spot at the right time and I MIGHT ADD that I AM no scifi nut nor a pot head or ,drunkard,Hope you non belivers get out and HEAR one SCREAM and run across your path,SEEING IS BELIVEING!
Myself and two of my friends were deer hunting in Tumberland cove,about three or four years back. When we were done hunting we met at the truck and started riding back out of cove. There was a mountain lion in a field behind the forest warden's house.All three of us saw it.It stood about three to four feet high. The body was about five feet long and it's tale was about the same lenth as it's body. It was much too big to be a bobcat. In fact it had the exact looks and characteristics as the cat in the so called Wise county hoax. Well my story is true an I would be willing to take a polygraph test to prove it. After we saw the mountain lion we stoped the truck and got out. By that time it was already gone. After we got back to the truck we were talking about how dumb we were for getting out of the truck without our weapons. If the cat had still been around we could have been hurt or killed.
Hey I'm from Pike Co KY. For the record I am NOT A CRACKHEAD OR DRUNKARD!!!! I know my wildlife and grew up hunting and fishing. I have seen multiple large cats.
The first sighting was when I was little (around 24 years ago), my aunt and I seen a mountain lion and her 4 cubs (the mom was a Tawny color and the cubs had spots) on the cliff behind what is currently known as The Town And Country Shopping Center in Pikeville Ky.
The second cat, a large tawny male(trust me it was a male, gentials were clearly seen), I saw was in my parents yard about 11 years ago. I come in from work around 3am and he walked across the front yard and showed no fear of the cars headlights. He sit down about 10 feet in fornt of the car. He watched the car for about 10 to 15 minutes, while I was sitting in the car terrified, so I got a very good look. Then it streched like a pet cat would and walked away butt facing the car, across the yard into the woods. I stayed in the car about an hour or so before I went inside.
My husband and I now live just down the hill from my parents home next to the creek and have seen a Large Black Mountain Lion four times in the last two years always near the same place crossing the road into a small creek at the base of our driveway. We have also spot-lighted it two of the four times.
Also last year multiple people saw a twany colored cat about 6 to 7 feet long, it was seen about twenty feet from the road next to a railroad track feasting on a deer that had been hit. I did not see this cat my-self but my sister and her husband did, they said that cars were stopping to watch it eat.
About 2 weeks ago, right after our last sighting of the black cat, across the mountain (appx .75 miles away) a large dog (a Great Pyrenees)was attacked by what appears to have been a cat larger than the dog, according to the vet. The dog lived.
I always hear of these stories about big black cats and i also know the goverment said there is none in the usa the closest ones are middle of mexico. but i came home from work saturday morning jan 30 2010 around 7:00 to 7:15am my wife and i was sitting at the kitchen table talking and i was glancing out the window,it was a good snow on the ground about 9to10 inches and about 50 yards away in the edge of the woods i seen a black cat walking threw the snow,now it wasn't as big as a mountain lion i thought it was a young one from it's head to the tip of it's tail i would say around six foot it's tail looked to be twenty eight to thirty inches long and two inches in diameter.it's head was about six to eight inches round and it was about thirty inches tall. But what gits me is i have trail cameras out (not in that spot of course)and i have gotten pictures of alot of things bear,deer,bobcat,etc,but not one of those yet,but i did go over and take a couple of pictures of the tracks in the snow.
we have been here just over 2 years and not only have i seen a big cat on the tracks in norton va but as we left the cinema in norton one night we all heard one i grew up in the woods and am very familiar with wildlife calls and this was definitely a cougar. needless to say we got the kids in the car QUICKLY. repopulation of a species is not terribly common but it does happen and anyone would be foolish to think it cannot happen.
I have not seen any big cats. I had a horse killed in my barn in the stall that was attacked on the neck. The mane was tore off and a big hole in the neck. By the looks of the neck, it looked like it was slice down deep in the meat and shredded. Don't know what it was but what else could do this. I believe there is BIG CATS. This happened at Tunnel Rd. Honaker Va
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