Update on Black Panther Sightings in Palisades
Within the last two weeks, two very reliable witnesses - Jane Bernick and Grace Knowlton - have reported seeing black felines, at least the size of large dogs, on the Lamont hill. They conjecture that these might perhaps be a pair of young black panthers, escaped from or abandoned by someone nearby who was raising them. On March 15 Lisa Larkin saw one panther beside the Palisades Parkway between exit 3 and exit 4.
On March 17 a Palisades man and his son riding their bikes on the bike path in Tallman encountered the two panthers apparently playing and jumping in the brush at around 5:00pm. They were about waist high with smooth, black shiny coats. He rushed back to the nearest house, called the police, but by the time he got back to the park the panthers were gone. Two police cars came, officers went into the woods with automatic rifles and were there for about an hour but they see or didn't catch the panthers. Helicopters also surveyed the area. Keep alert as they must have passed through the village to get from the Lamont hill, where they were originally seen, to Tallman Park. This all occurred in the woods at the end of Woods Rd near Annie Gerard's house.
When I called the Town of Orangetown Police this morning and asked to speak to someone about the panthers, I was referred to the Palisades Parkway Police number. I spoke to a man there who said he was just leaving Bear Mountain to come down to Palisades with trackers and would attempt to locate the panthers. If they find them they will use tranquilizer darts, not guns.
If you see them, please call Town of Orangetown Police at 359-3700 and also e-mail us at: info@palisadesny.com and report time and place. Thank you! Protect your pets and your children by being vigilant.