My latest Mysterious Universe article digs into the controversy surrounding large cats roaming around my very own stomping grounds.
Here's how it starts:
"Last week, I penned an article here on sightings of what sounded like incredibly large wolves and even – far more amazingly – real-life werewolves on the loose in the state of Texas, which has been my home for the past twelve or so years. It’s not my intention to pummel you with endless tales of strange and out-of-place animals on the loose in the Lone Star State. But, I am doing one more article on such matters, and this is it! The subject: the large and exotic cats of Texas; cats that had no business roaming the state, but that apparently, were doing exactly that in decades long gone…
"In early 2009, I spent several days delving deeply into the old archives of a variety of Texas-based newspapers, and uncovered a number of significant reports from years-past of big and exotic cats on the loose in Texas."
And here's how it ends!
Nick, jaguar were still being hunted in Texas south of the Nueces River till the 1940's. Except for Corpus Christi, most of the Texas's coastal counties is pretty sparsely habitted south of Galveston. Even moreso 50-60 years ago. Red wolves were still around back then as well. Now because of a shrinking environment in Mexico, there have been 8 confirmed black bear sightings in the border counties along the river south of Laredo. Most of Texas's landmass it still considered rural/wilderness by demographers, so the sighting of 'exotic' animals may not be so exotic.
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