AR-News: 'Panther' actually a house cat

[jim robertson]

'Panther' actually a house cat
Tuesday, June 22, 2004 Posted: 7:58 PM EDT (2358 GMT)


MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) -- The southern French city of Marseille called 
off a three-week hunt for a black panther on Tuesday after the animal 
sighted by several residents turned out to be a large house cat.

"The 'panther' is just a black house cat -- a very big one though," said a 
spokeswoman for the local prefecture, adding the animal was about 24 inches 
long and weighed some 22 pounds.

Police deployed dozens of searchers this month after reports that a black 
panther was roaming around the nearby Calanques area, popular with tourists 
for its creeks, rocks and beaches.

Searchers finally caught up with the animal and identified it as a cat but 
were still unable to catch it, the spokeswoman added.

..............

It should not be believed that all beings exist for the sake of the 
existence of Man. -- Maimonides (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon  1135-1204)