Two teenagers alerted the authorities after seeing a mysterious animal in Teleorman County. The gendarmes did not find traces, but the images transmitted by the witnesses seem to confirm the presence of a large feline.
Two teenagers claim to have seen the black panther in Teleorman Photo: Archive
A possible copy of the black panther, which was previously said to have been seen in Bulgaria and later in Giurgiu County, was reported on Tuesday night in Teleorman County. Two teenagers from Năsturelu called 112 around 1:00 and reported the presence of a large, completely black feline in an area near their house.
The young people managed to film the animal for a few seconds and made the images available to the authorities. Local sources claim that the surprised feline seems to resemble the black panther pointed anteriorly in the Șumen region of Bulgaria and then in the Russian area, on the border with Romania.
The intervention of the gendarmes
The Teleorman County Gendarmes Inspectorate reported on Wednesday that “On July 2, AC around 01.00, the dispatcher of the Teleorman County Gendarmes Inspectorate was notified by 112 about the fact that in the town of Teleorman county was surprised the presence of a wild animal.”
A gendarmes crew was sent to the scene, but “no traces or indices of the presence of the wild animal were found in the mentioned area”. However, Patrol remained in the area until 9:00, to ensure community protection measures.
Traces and previous signals in Giurgiu and Bulgaria
A few days ago, a person from Giurgiu County announced that he had discovered traces that seem to belong to a big feline, and another call to 112 claimed that the animal had been seen in that area. In Bulgaria, the same panther was sought for 11 days in the region of the Șumen Plateau, but without success. Subsequently, the Bulgarian authorities raised the prohibition of access in the area, and speculation on the existence of the feline began to fade.
Specialists question the authenticity of traces
Associated professor Dr. Stoian Lazarov, a zoologist at the National Museum of Natural History within the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, told Nova TV that the traces presented as evidence could actually belong to a large dog. He also mentioned the conclusions of his colleague, Professor Nikolay Spasov, who transmitted to the Ministry of Agriculture in Bulgaria an analysis showing that he did not belong to a feline.
“Trace presented in filming belongs to a large dog and has no connection with any feline“, Said Lazarov, according to News.ro. He also expressed his doubt on the authenticity of video recording in which the panther would appear. According to the specialist, if the animal had been grown in captivity, it would probably not be able to hunt and look for easily accessible food, such as poultry,
So far, there is no clear evidence to confirm the presence of a black panther in Romania. However, the authorities continue to monitor the area and investigate each signal received.
