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Home > Blogs > Birds and Butterflies > Archives > 2011 > September > 09
Friday, September 9, 2011
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.
