The Panther Project


Kelly Coffey
Kelly Coffey

The Panther Project

My name is Kelly Coffey, and I live in Watauga County, North Carolina, between Boone and Blowing Rock. One of my earliest memories is of my grandmother telling me the story of her grandfather, in the late 1800s, witnessing a fight between a panther and a bear, near where I now live. In 2021, I began working on an article about panthers in the southern Appalachian Mountains. I solicited panther tales from the public and incorporated some of those stories into the article, which can be accessed below.

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Even though the article is finished, I’m still collecting stories in order to preserve them for posterity. Depending on what I receive, I might amend the original article or write an entirely new essay. If you know a panther tale that has been passed on to you by an older generation, I would love to hear about it for my collection. It might be a story of a person being stalked by a panther, a hunting tale about a huge panther being shot, or some curious behavior of a cougar witnessed by an ancestor. I’m also interested in modern-day sightings of panthers. If you’ve seen one in these mountains, please share your story with me.

Panther
Panther

You can contribute to my collection in one of two ways:

1) By email: panthertales@yahoo.com
2) You can call me at 828-406-5104.

I will post all comments and stories I receive (with permission) in my blog below for everyone to read.

Whatever method you choose, please provide as much detail as possible. If you wish to remain anonymous, that’s OK, but please at least tell me the county and community where your story took place. Thank you.

thepantherproject.blogspot.com

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©2023 Blue Ridge Lore, Blowing Rock, NC. All Rights Reserved. Folklore, Stories and Articles by Kelly Coffey.