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Home > Blogs > Birds and Butterflies > Archives > 2011 > September > 09 > Entry
A Black Leopard… in Dayton?
You’ve probably heard about the black leopard prowling around Harrison Township, just north of Dayton. You may have tried to go out in our conservation areas, or the parks along the Stillwater River, where this large cat has been seen. But, have you thought about why this animal, native to Africa and Asia, is in Ohio?
Black leopards live in the rainforest, marshlands, swamps, woodlands, savannahs, mountainous areas, and deserts. They can adapt to these very different ecosystems because they eat a variety of different reptiles, birds, fish, and mammals. They are powerful felines that can hunt from trees, on the ground, and in the water as they are good swimmers. They are nocturnal in the wild and are usually solitary unless a female has cubs, and are hard to find in the wild due to camouflage. You may hear people call the black leopard a black panther. That’s because a black leopard is a melanistic (very dark or completely black) form of a leopard, just like a black squirrel is a melanistic form of a grey squirrel. The name black panther is commonly used to describe a melanistic leopard or melanistic jaguar.
While situations like the black leopard give us something out of the ordinary to talk about at lunch, this isn’t ideal for the leopard or the people of Dayton. The reason the animal is here is because some people feel the need to have exotic and wild animals as pets. It may seem “cool” to have an alligator, fox, or leopard as a pet, but once the animal is no longer small and “cute” people realize having an exotic or wild animal isn’t so “cool” anymore. Those animals are not meant to live in a house as a pet. I’m sure that at some point your dog or your neighbor’s dog has escaped, and the same can happen with these exotic and wild animals. And, unfortunately, sometimes people who don’t want their exotic or wild animals anymore will turn them loose. Either way, the animal then becomes a concern for the public… and I’ll let you form your own opinions about that.
Now you know a little about black leopards and how this black leopard most likely ended up in our area, but what should you do about it? First, remember that this used to be someone’s pet, so we aren’t sure how “wild” or “tame” this animal is, but it is best to exercise caution. Second, there are many other large animals that are black including dogs, sheep, goats, etc. so please don’t assume every large black animal you see is the leopard. If you can verify you’ve spotted the black leopard, you can feel free to contact Michael Enright, Five Rivers Metroparks’ Conservation Biologist, at 277-4109. And, if you’re concerned about other exotic animals in Ohio, you can contact your local politician and find out about animal licensing laws in Ohio.
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Comments
By null
September 9, 2011 2:53 PM | Link to this
Leopards are NOT native to South America, please get your facts straight.
By AP-FLORIDA
September 9, 2011 3:36 PM | Link to this
Saw what I thought was a black panther several times crossing Old Springfield Rd between Dog Leg and Frederick. Always in early am and always going south. Would of been between 2003-2009
By shelby
September 9, 2011 4:46 PM | Link to this
one thing a black leopard dosnt look nothing like a dog or goat or a damn pig.they are larger than a dog. stronger to you can see in the pic looks nothing like the animals in the story get your facts right.the first time lauren….
By Sigfried & Roy
September 9, 2011 5:08 PM | Link to this
Do not try to pet the kitty.
By abby
September 9, 2011 5:52 PM | Link to this
Shelby, I don’t think she is saying a pig looks like a leopard. She is probably trying to reduce the amount of false sightings by reminding people that not every black animal is the leopard. She put a picture of a leopard in the entry, and there are pigs at Possum Creek, so I’m sure she knows the difference!
By Mr. Not a Jerk
September 9, 2011 6:41 PM | Link to this
Good for your guys taking the time out of your full lives to pick apart a naturalists concern for yourselves, and the wildlife in the county. That will really show her that your cool!! Yeah!
By Indy Dan - UD Alum
September 9, 2011 7:40 PM | Link to this
shelby, I had to read your text several times to attempt to understand your message. The number of errors detracted from the point you were trying to make. Perhaps editing your work before critiquing others would be best.
By shelby
September 10, 2011 9:29 AM | Link to this
hey indy dan my text is sipple a leopard looks nothing like the animals in the story see above. you can tell the animals apart.a leopard looks nothing like a black dog. hey abby i know there are pigs at possum creek
By Amanda
September 11, 2011 1:32 PM | Link to this
I work at Heaven’s Corner Zoo and I can confirm that the public often indentifies animals incorrectly. I have heard many people say while standing in front of the bobcat exhibit, “look at that tiger”, and just the other day someone asked about our baby deer, which was actually a giant Flemish rabbit. People have called us to come get the “cobra” in their yard, and it is a garter snake. Or they see a gray fox and think it is a coyote. It happens a lot. Thank you to our MetroParks staff for reminding the public to exercise caution and raise awareness about black leopard facts.
By spellcheck
September 12, 2011 6:23 PM | Link to this
Hey Shelby: your text isn’t the only thing that’s “sipple.”
By shelby
September 13, 2011 4:59 PM | Link to this
I ment to text the word simple. SPELLCHECK THIS A$$HOLE
By Lauren Stayer
September 15, 2011 7:23 AM | Link to this
I want to thank everyone for their comments! My hope for this blog was to raise awareness about the black leopard, and help people understand why exotic animals are found in Ohio. If you didn’t catch the article in the Dayton Daily News about exotic animal laws, I wanted to update you: the law banning the importation of exotic animals only lasted from January to April. So currently, someone could be bringing other exotic animals into our area. I’m interested to see what people think about that. AP-Florida: did you happen to get a photo of what you were seeing from 2003-2009? If so, I’d be interested in taking a look at the photos and hearing more about what you saw. Thanks again!!
By IloveBigCats!
September 15, 2011 6:51 PM | Link to this
I just ran out in my backyard looking for a black leopard and it was a big black dog. now my confused grandmother is under her bed smoking cigarette…”Here Kitty Kitty!!!”
By Mr. Jim
September 22, 2011 3:11 PM | Link to this
IF any one sees or think they se this big cat PLEASE call 911 and report it the local police are still looking for it this animal is NOT a toy I do live in this area and it needs to be caught and soon it is hungry and is becoming bolder. Don’t be stuipd call the cops.