White Panthers Existence Proven! White Mountain lions?

On January 2016 an interesting story broke via KLTV out of Tyler., TX.

Landowner Mitchell Cox of Hughes Springs captured on video what he and many others thinks is a “white panther”.

“When I first saw the white animal, the first thing I thought was, it was a dog. I feel blessed to actually be able to see it,” said landowner Mitchell Cox in the KLTV story.

“The cat jumps across about a 6 foot creek there. At first, my initial thought was it was an edited video, but upon talking to people I believe it’s true. A white albino mountain lion,” investigator Hershel Stroman, of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office told KLTV officials.

The video is interesting and the animal moves like a cougar but without a closer video (this one was shot 50 yards away with a cellphone) it is difficult to tell.

The term “white panther” is rarely used and in this case it is a reference to what is believed to be a white cougar (mountain lion, puma). This might sound like a stretch but whether or not the 2016 video shows one, science has observed white cougars.

In 2011 a white cougar was born at the Attica Zoological Park in Greece and was aptly named “Casper” proving they are a possibility in nature. A 2013 trail camera photo from Sierra dos Argaos National Park shows a white cougar. It’s leucistic which means its white all over with the exception of the eyes. Leucistic tigers for example have blue eyes.

This photo shocked the world-a white puma (cougar) in Brazil. Image: ICMBio

In the mid 2000s there were several reports of a white cougar at Red Rock National Conservation Area near Las Vegas, NV. A “white panther’ is a truly rare animal.

Sightings of “black panthers” are commonly reported.

Many hunters, fishermen, birdwatchers, hikers and people of all walks of life reporting seeing large long-tailed black cats they label as “black panthers”.

The problems there is no such species as a “black panther” anywhere in the world.

What about the large black cats seen in zoos and on television programs?

Those are black (melanistic) leopards or black jaguars.

Melanism is when a hyper amount of black pigment dominates coloration of an animal. It happens in many animals ranging from squirrels to whitetail deer. Melanism is not uncommon in leopards in certain parts of their range as well as with jaguars.

The general assumption with “black panther” sightings i is that these are black or melanistic cougars. The problem is there has never been a melanistic cougar observed by science either in a zoo, captive setting, killed by a hunter, mounted by a taxidermist or otherwise positively identified.

And here we have two extremely rare white ones showing up in the span of a few years.

Is it possible that there could be black cougars? Yes, but not likely.

Read here to see our stories on the “black panther” phenomenon.

Now, those of us who appreciate wild cats, can marvel at the idea of a white cougar.

We know they exist.

Perhaps sometime in the future there will be validation of these cat on the other side of color spectrum.

Until then we can appreciate the fact these mysteries deepen peoples love of nature and hope that translates into conserving the habitat of the great cats.

Truly wild habitat in many areas of America is quickly becoming as elusive as the cats themselves.

(If you have photos or videos of wild cats submit them to chester@chestermoore.com. I would love to share them here and on my YouTube channel.)

Chester Moore

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