Truth, or fiction?

Back the end of September, when Tom's uncle died, we traveled to Florida for the funeral. We stopped in Moultrie where we spent the night at his mother's (she was already in Florida) then headed on down the next morning to Lakeland. About 30 minutes south of Moultrie, as I was sitting in the back seat knitting, James suddenly said, "What the F*#$* was that?" Tom responded equally excited and incredulous. By the time I got twisted around in the seat to look, I could see nothing. For the next ten miles, the two discussed the features of what they had seen. It was large, black, and definitely feline.

Back home, Tom, as is his wont, started researching the mythical black panther of South Georgia and Northern Florida. Growing up, he heard many stories about them, but biologists staunchly refuse to acknowledge their existence. They shared their story with others, who listened indulgently.

A friend of James' sent his an article from the South Carolina news website:

‘Life-changing event’: Panther chases forester

I would copy the article, but that would be copyright infringement. The story is a forester was in the field, with a partner. They seperated, and this one was walking along the Chattoga river that seperates South Carolina from Georgia. He heard a noise, and turned to see a large, black feline crouched as if it were stalking something. He realized it might be him, and ran. The cat ran after him, and he jumped into the river and swam to the other side to escape.

Now, would a trained forester mistake a bobcat for a 'large black feline'? Would any sane man jump into an icy mountain river in January to escape a bobcat that is not much larger than my Tiger, and therefore not a real threat to a grown man?

Is it the same panther, who somehow made it from south of Moultrie Georgia up to the South Carolina with out being seen? Or are exotic pets being released all over the state? Why does the Department of Natural Resources say we have no large native black cat when folk tales have said otherwise for years and years? Was this forester smoking something in the woods, or perhaps staying warm with some little filled flask of stuff?

You decide.