Man Claims Cougar Attacked Horse
By Tony Huffman, Effingham Daily News.
Are cougars roaming Jasper County? Some say yes, others have their doubts.
Frank “Frankie” Dhom of rural Jasper County first spotted a mysterious big cat he first described as a panther near his property. That contention has since changed to a dark-haired cougar after additional sightings — mere glimpses — by himself and others.
Dhom claims the cougar or panther attacked his horse in its pasture in rural Jasper County, leaving long scratches on the horse’s hind quarter.
The elusiveness of the feline animal and the darkening of coat for winter is adding to the confusion of exactly what type of animal was seen.
“I thought I heard it; I don’t know what else it could be. This was during bow season about a month ago,” said Chris Collins, Dhom’s neighbor, who added he has never heard anything else like that sound.
Kevin Woods, Illinois Department of Natural Resources district wildlife biologist for the area, isn’t convinced the animal Dhom saw is a panther.
“While I didn’t view this exact case, the evidence doesn’t add up,” he said.
Woods contends while there have been two cases of cougar attacks near the western edge of Illinois, the alleged attack in Jasper County doesn’t follow the cougar’s normal mode of operation.
The attacks in the western part of the state were on sheep, much smaller than the 15-hand tall, half-ton horse, Woods said.
“Big cats would try and get a larger animal around the neck, smaller animals from behind,” Woods said in reference to scratches along the hind quarter of the horse. “I’ve seen some pretty dramatic looking pictures that come from fencing and stalls.”
Dhom, however, is convinced the scratches on the horse were not caused by a fence.
With no lack of opinion on the big cat’s actual existence in the area, an end to the debate seems doubtful. The animals, however large, are quite elusive. They also are known traditionally for being leery of humans.
I’ve blown up the pic and the “big” scratch marks equal 6 which means the cougar would have had to use all of its claws at once. Then there are 3 on the very hind quarters and 3 towards the belly. They dont look deep enough to be cougar. Possibly fencing. Do you have barbbed(sp) wire fencing around your area? SOMETHING made those marks but i’m not sold on a cougar. Their just not deep enough. I dont believe a cougar would go for an animal that big, and if it did i would think the horse would have got away quicker than the cougar could have pounced….but i could be wrong. Frank??????
Alright,HoustonGurl, I do not know what got us off on the wrong foot, BUT what you wrote is exactly what I was thinking before I even read your post. Are you reading my diary? Seriously though, I would say it was barbed wire.
i dont either, we agree on everything. scary huh? lmao yeah the claw marks just dont match. Yeah i read your diary. January 18th 2008 was an interresting night huh? lmao
Plus i got to thinking on my drive to and from decatur….the “cougar” would have had to have all its claws in a straight line. Thats IMPOSSIBLE when they attack. The way the cougar paws are made, there is a claw towards the back on the side, so i dont think it could make straight lines like that. I’m still stuck on the barbed wire fence. I know they attack deer, maybe even a coyote sometimes but i really dont think i could see one attacking a horse
I was thinking that too. With all of the inexperienced fawns out there, why would it go after a one thousand pound horse?
Well i was looking up cougar attacks on the net, theres a picture of one of a horse, it tore this horse up. There is a huge gash in it. actually 2. Not tiny scratches. I think i looked up “Cougar Attack Pictures” it showed a black/white horse or a tan/white horse that was pregnant. but there are HUGE gashes on it
So, you are thinking that these look way too clean? I would have to think that you are right.
They are WAY too clean. Go look up Cougar attack pictures. The cuts in the pictures are clean, but not gorey like the ones on the net. I mean this cougar RIPPED the poor horses side open. Frank…we keep agreeing, people are going to think we have something going on? Anyway, where you from? Shelbyville here
Just outside of Quincy.
Not bad, bout 3 hours. Lots of cougars between you and me. If ya wanna continue small talk email me at Harleyryders4@aol.com
frankmayfield@msn.com