Editing Phantom cat (section)

==United States==
Phantom cat sightings in the United States should not be confused with sightings of [[Jaguar#Jaguars in the United States|jaguars in their native range]] in the states of [[Arizona]] and [[New Mexico]] (while early records of [[North American jaguar]]s show much wider distribution as far as [[Monterey]]), or [[cougar]]s being sighted recolonizing the extirpated [[eastern cougar]]'s former range in the Northeastern United States and expanding their range eastward.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="220px">
File:Panthera_onca_distribution.svg|Distribution of jaguars; pink indicates former range.
File:Cougar_range_map_2010.png|Distribution of cougars; yellow indicates former range. The lower 48 US states fall into the native range.
</gallery>

===Connecticut===
In 1939, a panther-like creature called the "[[glawackus]]" was sighted in [[Glastonbury, Connecticut]]. It became a national sensation, and sporadic sightings of it across Connecticut continued into the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Engl|first1=New|last2=Legends|title=Podcast 100 – Hunting Glastonbury's Glawackus – New England Legends|url=https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-100-hunting-glastonburys-glawackus/|access-date=2021-11-22|language=en-US}}</ref>

===Delaware===
There have been reported sightings of what is believed to be a [[mountain lion]] in the northern Delaware forests since the late 1990s. The Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife believes there may be more than one mountain lion in Delaware and that they originate from animals released from captivity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cougarnet.org/delaware_cougar_confirmations.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811185344/http://www.cougarnet.org/delaware_cougar_confirmations.htm|title=Delaware Cougar Confirmations|date=26 February 2011|author=Cpt. Robert Hutchins|archive-date=11 August 2014|publisher=cougarnet.org|access-date=4 August 2011}}</ref>

===Hawaii===
In December 2002, sightings of a big cat increased in numbers in the [[Kula, Hawaii|Kula]] (upcountry) area, and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife requested the help of big cat wildlife biologists William van Pelt and Stan Cunningham of the [[Arizona Game and Fish Department]]. Van Pelt and Cunningham believed that the cat was probably a large feline, such as a [[leopard]], [[jaguar]], or [[cougar]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/wild/cat.htm |title=Status Report on the Olinda, Maui Mystery Cat |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=state.hi.us |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729214236/http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/wild/cat.htm|archive-date=29 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/2003/10/25/news/story4.html |title=Expert thinks big cat is dangerous |last1=Kubota |first1=Gary |date=25 October 2003 |website=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |access-date=10 December 2008 }}</ref> It may have been illegally brought into [[Hawaii]] as a pet and released or allowed to wander in the wild. No big cat was detected by traps, infrared cameras, or professional trackers. A fur sample was obtained in 2003, but [[DNA]] analysis was inconclusive. The state's hunt for the cat was suspended in late November 2003, after three weeks without sightings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Nov/22/ln/ln21a.html |title=State suspends hunt for Maui cat |last1=Hurley |first1=Timothy |date= 22 November 2003|website=The Honolulu Advertiser |access-date=10 December 2008 }}</ref> [[Utah State University]] professor and wildlife biologist Robert Schmidt expressed strong doubts about the cat's existence,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Aug/04/op/op03a.html |title=Forget catching ghost cat |last1=Schmidt |first1=Robert |date=4 August 2003 |website=The Honolulu Advertiser |access-date=27 February 2022 |archive-date=25 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060425195754/http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Aug/04/op/op03a.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> likening it to the [[Loch Ness monster]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Nov/30/ln/ln14a.html |title=For Maui, it was year of the cat |last1=Hurley |first1=Timothy |date=30 November 2003 |website=The Honolulu Advertiser |access-date=10 December 2008 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303200310/http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Nov/30/ln/ln14a.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Illinois===
In the [[Shawnee National Forest]] of Alexander County, there have been encounters of large black panthers reported sporadically since the 1860s.<ref>''Monsters and Mysteries in America''.</ref>

===Massachusetts===
[[Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (Massachusetts)|MassWildlife]] has confirmed two cases of a mountain lion's presence in Massachusetts.<ref name="MassWildlife 2017-09-13">{{cite web |url=https://www.mass.gov/service-details/are-there-mountain-lions-in-massachusetts |title=Are there Mountain Lions in Massachusetts? |author=Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife |publisher=Mass.gov |date=2017-09-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913171351/https://www.mass.gov/service-details/are-there-mountain-lions-in-massachusetts |archive-date=13 September 2017 |access-date=2019-08-04 |quote="There are two records of Mountain Lions in Massachusetts that meet the evidence requirements..." }}</ref> There have been numerous other reports of sightings, as well as alleged photographs, but these remain unconfirmed by state wildlife officials.<ref name="Berkshire Eagle 2018-12-15">{{cite news |last=Bellow |first=Heather |url=https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/are-the-mountain-lion-sightings-in-monterey-for-real,559149 |title=Are the mountain lion sightings in Monterey for real? |work=The Berkshire Eagle |location=Pittsfield, Massachusetts |publisher=New England Newspapers Inc. |date=2018-12-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803101352/https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/are-the-mountain-lion-sightings-in-monterey-for-real,559149 |archive-date=3 August 2019 |access-date=2019-08-04 |quote="Reports of mountain lions have gotten some mileage lately throughout these rural hills, with possible sightings, and on occasion, some worry about the safety of people and animals." }}</ref><ref name="MassLive 2017-08-08">{{cite news |last=Graham |first=George |url=https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/are-the-mountain-lion-sightings-in-monterey-for-real,559149 |title=Facebook photo reignites debate about mountain lions in Massachusetts |work=MassLive |location=Massachusetts |publisher=Advance Local |date=2017-08-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803101352/https://www.masslive.com/news/2017/08/photo_of_big_cat_taken_in_stoc.html |archive-date=3 August 2019 |access-date=2019-08-04 |quote="A photo of a big cat sitting on the banks of the Housatonic River, taken late last month and posted on Facebook, has sparked lively debate, with many claiming it to be a mountain lion -- even as the photographer and state wildlife officials say otherwise." }}</ref>

===North Carolina===
Black panthers and other large non-indigenous cats have been sighted for many years in the vicinity of [[Oriental, North Carolina]]. Accounts from locals and visitors alike have been documented in the local papers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Aydelette |first=Jeff |date=17 November 2011 |title=Most say panthers exist |url=http://compassnews360.com/most-say-panthers-exist/ |work=The County Compass |location=Bayboro, North Carolina |access-date=6 January 2015 |archive-date=17 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017001848/http://compassnews360.com/most-say-panthers-exist/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>