"Leemo, The 'Pet' Panther

The Leemo books by Stanley Brock from British Guiana were wonderful books, full of day to day information about panther behavior and full of kindness by the author. I wonder what happened to her. In "More About Leemo," Mr. Brock discusses Leemo's proclivity to re-enact her killings. She would take her kill and re-create the entire hunt. Mr. Brock attributes this to the sadism of the panther -puma- and writes that he did not find it with his "pet" ocelot or jaguar (page 173). What else could it be? Compulsiveness maybe? Two-Guns (Peter Nickerson, MS, MSW) at 352-359-0850.

Man With a Knife

Recently, I was at Hardee's early in the morning and saw a man in full camouflage sitting with another man I knew. I went over and asked the man in cammies if he had ever seen a black puma. He had seen one in Hague, Florida which is a village about ten miles north of Gainesville. He said the panther was only about ten yards away. This was the often seen panther in Hague. I also asked him about Bigfoot, but he hadn't seen one. Curiously, I saw him that evening at McDonald's having dinner with his wife. I asked him if he had either seen a black panther or Bigfoot. He snarled that I had asked him that question earlier that day and that he had seen the black panther in Hague and there were "no damn Bigfoot around here." I was about to say something about his hostility when I glanced down and noticed that he had a sheath knife on his belt. I decided to simply thank him and move on. If you have any black panther sightings, please call me, Pete Nickerson, at 352-359-0850.

Panther Killed!

I heard a disquieting story last week: A man was boasting about his hunting property in Hawhorne, Florida saying that he had plenty of deer, turkeys, hogs, and cats. Big cats. In fact, he "had" to kill one. Why, I don't know. He said it was almost solid black with some red and tan on him. Of course, this didn't happen because the always truthful state fish and wildlife says that black pumas don't exist. Much to the shame of the personnel who I believe are in the pockets of big development and big timber. Please report your sightings of big black cats to me, Pete Nickerson at 352-359-0850.

Sunday we were at the Black Diamond Restaurant not far from the Suwannee River. I asked one of our two waitresses, Rachael Smith, if her husband, a deer hunter, had seen anything unusual out in the woods. "You mean Bigfoot? she asked, "No, but two weeks ago we were on our way to Horseshoe Beach and had pulled off the road for some reason and saw a tan panther. She appeared to be in good shape."
About a month ago, I called into a local talk radio show and identified myself as "Black Panther." The host, Chip Miller, asked, "Do you mean the kind with black fur?"
"Yes," I answered, "The kind that isn't recognized as existing because of the development (and timber) interests." Peter Nickerson MS, MSW at 352-359-0850.

#179 Florida Panther In North-West Georgia

I want to thank DeepCover for making me aware of the article at Georgia Outdoor News - gon.com- about a Florida panther shot and killed by a hunter last year in Troup County, Georgia. The National Cancer Institute has confirmed that he was a Florida panther, in excellent shape and without a lot of parasites. He had no collar or chips. Of course, all the unfortunate "professionals" are being lined up to say he must have hitchhiked his way up there from the Naples,Florida area because there couldn't be any wild, flourishing panther populations anywhere else east of the Mississippi. I say that these professionals are unfortunate because their jobs depend on making that lie, and they are also unfortunate in that their spines aren't sufficiently strong enough to say job or no job, they aren't going to lie. I urge the Georgia legislature to pass a law prohibiting the shooting of panthers except in self-defense or defense of others. Isn't there a Georgia panther lover who can make that his or her project?
About two weeks ago, while I was having my teeth examined and then cleaned, I asked the technician if she had ever seen a black panther. This is something else that doesn't exist according to the same unfortunate professionals. Maybe one of these days, one of these guys will get an inheritance or win the lottery and then speak the truth. My dental technician lived near the Suwannee River and said, "Yes, I've seen one. There's a cattle ranch next to our house, and I've seen one crossing the road there, going from one field to another." She hesitated and added, "Of course, they'll tell you they don't exist, but they do." Here again, dear readers, is another example of my adage that the only thing government produces is grief.
For the sake of precision, I have broken out my commentary on Bigfoot to another blog exclusively for the big guy. It is "UnmaskingBigfoot.blogspot.com. Peter Nickerson at 352-359-0850.

#178 In Memorian

Earlier this week, Justin Smith passed away after being in a coma for ten months. His death is still a mystery. He had gone for a ride on the four-wheeler, and later he and his vehicle were brought back to his home by some strangers who then disappeared. They were never found. I knew Dustin because he loaded the vehicles at a local feed store. It was a job only for the very strong and the careful. Justin gave me a tan panther sighting. He saw the cat by his home which was on the north border of O'Leno State Park. He had also seen a cougar in Colorado, and was a great lover of nature. May you rest in peace, Justin.

#177 Early White Man's History Of Bigfoot

I read through "The Unidentified," and "Creatures Of The Outer Edge" by Jerome Clark and Loren Coleman Sunday, looking for mention of Bigfoot. First, the authors opposed the idea that Jacko, the ape-like creature supposedly caught in British Columbia in 1884 was a baby Bigfoot. The authors wrote that the research showed that there was only one source for the story, and that source fabricated the story (page 29).
The Bigfoot sightings in Antelope Valley, California were those of a three-toed Bigfoot (page 31). You may recall that I have written about Christian's report that there is a three-toed Bigfoot in his area, and bear hunters are trying to get their dogs to run his trail. Talk about exciting!
The Northern Athabascan Indians of the Canadian Plains and Alaska, have long believed in the "Nakani" whom they also call the "Bushmen." They say that the Bushman, a hair-covered, manlike creature, cannot be caught or killed and should be avoided. They even cast their eyes down when they think they are near one. At least, this is what Bob Betts and Jim McClarin reported after flying into the isolated village of Ruby on the Yukon in 1970 (page 32). It took a couple of days before the Indians would discuss the Bushmen, but said they visited the Indian villages in the fall because the Indians were drying salmon then. Salmon disappeared at night.
In the July 17, 1918 editon of the "Seattle Times," there is an article about hairy creatures, seven to eight feet tall, attacking a miner's cabin at Mt. St. Lawrence near Kelso, Washington. But that was all the article said, and unbelievably, there was apparently no followup by the newspaper (page 37).
Sunday evening, I stopped reading and went into the edge of a big woods in an area I've received some old Bigfoot sightings and track reports. As soon as I got out of my vehicle, I smelled the odor of rotting flesh. It was private land so I didn't go any farther. Rotting flesh is the odor of Bigfoot, but the odor could have simply been that of rotting flesh. Peter Nickerson, MS, MSW at peternickerson12@yahoo.com.