"It sounds like a woman screaming," Dan Wilkes said on a rainy day in Rosewood.
Posted: Dec 02, 2013
Ricky Brown's trail cam caught this image of an animal outside of Vicksburg. Some have said it is a panther.
Ricky Brown said he is not letting his children down to his
mudding hole in Warren County for the time being. He says he fearful
that a panther is crossing through his land.
Dan Wilkes says he saw a panther 15 years ago along a treeline in
Rosewood. The MDWFP reports there is no evidence that panthers exist in
the state.
Dan Wilkes says it's generally accepted that "big cats" exist in
wooded areas across the state. The MDWFP does not recognize that
panthers live in the state.
Thousands of stories. Thousands of supposed sightings. Do big cats, specifically panthers, stalk the forests of Mississippi?
State officials say there is not enough evidence to support whatever that whatever-they-are actually exist.
In this MYSTERY MONDAY, Jacob Kittilstad goes on the hunt for answers when it comes to big cats.
Some people have seen tracks in the mud. Others swear their animals have been spooked.
But most common encounter are with the calls.
"It sounds like a woman screaming," Dan Wilkes said on a rainy day in Rosewood.
Wilkes says he's a believer. He says he saw a panther with brown coloring in Warren County about 15 years ago.
He estimates it's body was five feet long with a tail adding another four feet to its length.
"Big
cat. At first I thought it was a deer. And Then I got a better look at
it as it was running down the treeline," Wilkes said.
"I
was sitting in a combine and had a good vantage point and this big cat,
probably 50 yards from us, took off and ran to our left. It stretched
out," Wilkes said.
Ricky Hall, who
lives right outside of Vicksburg, has a photo of an animal that was
captured on his trail cam. It shows a large cat in broad daylight
walking around a mudding hole.
"We
got a farmer across the street there. He's got cows out there. And the
way the picture's showing from where it's set up it's like it's coming
from that way," Wilkes said
"It's
pretty good size. It's bigger than a dog. It's got some big feet, little
short pointed ears. And it looks like its tail's got a few stripes on
it," Wilkes said.
"But it's dark," Wilkes said.
But the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) has a different view.
A
statement from Jim Walker, an agency spokesperson, says "...most
physical evidence sent to the MDWFP is later identified as remains of
large feral cats or other animals. Our biologists have not confirmed any
panthers or cougars are in Mississippi"."
Despite the state's stance, Brown says the picture still has him nervous.
"They said they'll attack so I wouldn't let my kids go back down there," Brown said
Wilkes also disagrees. Although his sighting was 15 years ago he says he will never forget what was before his eyes.
"At
first I'm like 'Wow, this is what I'm seeing'. You know, it's not a
deer. It's not a bobcat. You go through the list mentally and within the
first half-second. And you know without a doubt it's a large cat,"
Wilkes said.
"Everybody accepts it.
Everybody knows it. Especially in the Northeastern part of Warren
County. Deeper in the woods, so to speak," Wilkes said.
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