Local articles in the electronic and print media, (e.g. “‘Panther-sized’ black cat spotted in La Quinta” and “Possible panther sighting investigated in La Quinta”) tell of new sightings of black panthers in California.

On Saturday, October 16, 2010, California Fish and Game officers searched for what one resident eyewitness described as ”a large, panther-sized black cat,” on the roof of a local home, a sheriff’s investigator said.

The cat was spotted at about 8:00 a.m. (Pacific) in the 78000 block of Calle Remo in La Quinta, said investigator Matt Diaz of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

”They said it was much larger than a house cat and looked more like a black panther,” Diaz said.

A neighbor advised deputies that a similar cat was spotted on the La Quinta Dunes Golf Course (shown below) a week ago, Diaz said.

California Fish and Game officers, along with deputies, searched for hours but were unable to find the animal.