"With residents reporting near daily sightings, you'd think we
were under attack," one man stated.  Truth is, the myth of the
black panther in Louisiana - and throughout the United States -
has a long phantom existence, according to physiologists and
biologists.  Maria Davidson, the large carnivore program manager
for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, calmly
explained that the only black panthers in existence are black
jaguars found in South America and black leopards that live in
Asia and Africa.  The North American black panther generally
falls under the term "cryptid," a creature whose existence has
been suggested but is not recognized by the scientific community
and has been deemed highly unlikely. Bigfoot and the Loch Ness
Monster fall under that category.  They also have been called
"phantom cats," "alien big cats" (ABCs), and in certain circles,
the sightings have been dubbed "panther paranoia."  And while
some people, including local law enforcement officials, discuss
the possibility