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| File photo of black panther. |
I had on several occasions noticed the large cat tracks in
the soft earth when I was riding the back trails in the area of Bear Creek. On
one occasion, I saw what I thought was a huge cat jump some distance in front
of me as I descended a steep hill in the same mentioned area. After seeing this
animal, I was determined to explore the possibility of getting its picture to
prove to the unbelievers that these cats really exist in this area.
William Day of Peterman, who works for the State Forestry
Department, had mentioned that he had seen what he thought was a large cat one
day while on duty at the Cobb Fire Tower. According to Day, it seemed to be a
large cat with two smaller kittens. Day described the larger of the three as
weighing about 75 to 90 pounds. The two smaller ones looked to be about 18
inches high and weighing around 30 to 35 pounds. The description of the larger
cat seemed to fit exactly the one that had crossed in front of me earlier. And
judging from the tracks that Day showed me, it must be one and the same.
I was surprised one afternoon when my phone rang, and it was
Day saying that one of the kittens had come out in the clearing around the
tower and licked a freshly discarded sardine container. This began the first of
a long process of trying to get this cat recorded on film. Open cans of
sardines were placed in the vicinity of the tower, hoping the odor of the
canned fish would bring out our panther kitten from its hiding place.
Several trips were made out to the tower area by myself and
my friend Charles Raymond Floyd. A contest of a type was beginning to form
without either of us realizing it, seeing who would be the first to photograph
this rare animal. On one occasion, Charles Raymond was in the tower with Day, when
the kitten came into the clearing. Several pictures were made, but the distance
was too great from the top of the tower. Nothing about the size of the cat
could be decided from the pictures.
Charles Raymond and I decided to set up shop in the house or
office at the edge of the clearing. The sardines were placed within camera
range of the window where we would be sitting should our visitor decide to come
out in the opening. We waited for several hours on different occasions but to
no avail.
One afternoon around one o’clock, Day called me and said
that the kitten was in the clearing near the tower. He told me that I might get
some pictures if I would hurry over. Within a few minutes, I was seated near
the open window in the house near the tower. I waited for an hour – nothing happened.
Another hour passed, still nothing moved.
Just as I was beginning to get ready to leave, Day called me
on the phone from the tower. He said the kitten was entering the clearing from
the north side. I got into position, trying not to make any noise that would
give away my position by the window. Slowly the panther kitten circled the
clearing – always keeping his eyes on the open window where I was waiting. I
had taken the screen away from the window earlier so as not to obstruct my view
if the chance arose.
A grass sparrow flew near the kitten. Like a flash, the
kitten moved – catching the bird about five feet above the ground. After what seemed
like an eternity waiting for the kitten to eat the bird, I sat and waited,
hoping the panther would come over to our bait. The kitten kept looking toward
the open window. Slowly it circled the clearing, keeping a distance of about 80
yards between it and the camera. Never once did it come near the open can of
sardines.
I took the best shots possible under the circumstances and
after watching the kitten for a few minutes, I decided to try and slip out of
the house and in my automobile. Just as I moved from the chair where I was
sitting, the cat bounded into the brush. He had detected my movement.
There is a Federal law that protects these animals and
regardless of the old tales one hears about these cats, they are quite
harmless. They prey upon a few rabbits and birds occasionally. Bugs and field
mice are part of their diet and maybe a sick or wounded deer now and then.
I, for one, think they should be protected. They are another
way that nature keeps its balance. In closing this article, I find myself
looking forward to the time when I can see these graceful creatures roaming
unmolested across the hills and valleys of our great county.
(This article also included a photo of a small cat taken by
Singleton, which included the following caption: This baby panther, which
probably weighs between 30 and 35 pounds, was spotted in a clearing near Cobb
Tower by photographer George Singleton. This panther is one of three sighted in
the Bear Creek area by Singleton.)
(Singleton, the author
of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of
79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime
resident of Monroeville, he was born to Vincent William Singleton and Frances
Cornelia Faile Singleton, during a late-night thunderstorm, on Dec. 14, 1927 in
Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served as a
U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand,
lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964
and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from
June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks
to warrant officer in May 1972. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled “Monroe
County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe
Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that
appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column appeared
in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He is buried in Pineville
Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns
are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County
Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week
for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work
and memory alive.)
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