For over a year, there have been sightings of a black panther throughout Europe, believed to be the same one who escaped from a French animal park. There has never been a report of an attack on humans.

When the big cat was in the Aachen area, there wasn't much panic, even after it was suspected of attacking a sheep. "The cat will feed itself on wildlife," said Wolfram Graf-Ludwig, head of the Aachen Zoo. "It will only attack people if it were injured."

As this animal has proven by the rare sightings, black panthers are solitary animals who prefer to stay out of sight and be left alone.

The latest sightings have been around the town of Koblenz, Germany. At first, officials thought it was myth or hoax, like Big Foot. But now that they believe the reports, their response has been to issue permission for hunters to shoot to kill.

"Black panther" is a term applied to both jaguars and leopards with black coats. Neither feline is native to Europe and both are listed as "nearly threatened" with decreasing populations by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Clearly this animal can survive in the wild, and, if relocated, he could prove to be an asset to his species. If they don't have the resources to trap and move the panther, he should just be left alone. Being spotted near a town should not be a death sentence.

Tell Koblenz officials not to shoot the lost black panther.

Photo credit: Bruce McAdam