Yep, that's for sure. When I was at Ragland in the sixties, people didn't even know what an armadillo or a coyote WAS. Now they see armadilloes, coyotes, and deer all the time. I saw them the last time we visited.

As to the black panthers and hyenas, I'd just have to see that for myself, although I'd never call anybody a liar --- especially not after seeing pictures of a dead black bear and a "herd" of monkeys that were found living happily in the cactus patches near Laredo, Texas. The bear had apparently traveled all the way up from the mountains of Mexico, and the monkeys had LONG ago escaped from a "wildlife rescue" place near Pearsall, TX and gone south.

By the way, there were "black panther" stories back when Skeeter Flats was new.

A few years ago, a guy driving down I-20 close to the Arkadelphia exit called 911 saying that a bear ran across the hiway in front of him. The police came out and gave the guy a sobriety test and wrote up what he said he saw. People were doubting him all the way. The next evening, the security guard at Bham Southern College was sitting in his little hut when a bear approached him. Of course he shut the door and called for help, but the bear was gone before anyone got there. I remember the (black) guy being on T.V. when the reporter asked him was he sure that he had seen a bear. He responded by saying, "Dat bear was legit!" Cracked me up. Sure enough, the following day the bear was seen in a tree on someone's property and someone from animal control shot it with a knockout needle. The authorities said they believe the bear had walked all the way from Tennessee to Birmingham. They took it back to the mountains bordering Tennessee and released it.

I remember back when I was still quite young still living at Dairyland and going to church at the Sunnybrook Freewill church. Clyde Swint's uncle, one of the Presley boys, the one that sold the fireworks, told a bunch of us about seeing small bears up in the forest of Chehaw, not sure I spelled that right, but he was working with the Forest Service in some capacity and said that there was small variety of brown bear that were plentiful in that area.

From the time of the great depression until about the early 50's I don't think there was a deer or a wild turkey in the state of Alabama. My grandfather Jones told me about hunting both during the early years of the depression but they were all killed off, that's about all most folks had to eat aroung Coosa and Chilton countiesl. Seems the me that first deer back into the state showed up over in the western part of the state, they were brought in and allowed to re-populate with no legal killing for several years. That's my understanding any way, anybody have a better idea about that?

Horace

When I was a junior in college at Troy, my roommate let me use his car to come home one weekend. It was night and I got to Hatchett Creek Bridge when a bear walked across the road in front of the car. I told the guys at school and they all laughed at me but I know what I saw. This was 1963. A true, true story...

Lathan, I believe you. About three weeks ago a woman I know was letting her kids play in her back yard in Hackneyville when she noticed several dogs in the yard barking. She thought she saw a black dog in the edge of the woods that she did not recognize so she walked over to investigate because of the kids. When she got to the edge of the yard she said it stood up on it's rear legs and growled at her and she realized it was a black bear. Her uncle had told of seeing a bear in the same area on more than one occasion and she had never believed him. Some police in the area said it probably came down from Cheaha Mountain.
Mike

People laugh at things they don't understand. If you tell somebody you saw a strange animal they usually laugh. Is anything funny about it? Of course not. It's just a human trait to laugh at what we don't understand. My dad saw an eagle down below Marble Valley in Coosa County. When he told the guys at work about it, they gave him the horse laugh. He cussed them out. He didn't understand that side of human nature. There are a lot of UFO sightings that go unreported for that reason. Nobody wants to be ridiculed.

So true Pete, On our way to a basketball game in Linden Al. We saw a UFO that flew along side us for several miles then disappeared. My whole family saw it but we didn't tell anybody for fear of being ridiculed. This is the first time I've mentioned it.
I had a friend at work that said he saw a bald eagle up close in Choctaw county, When asked if it was bald, He said slick as the palm of my hand, he's seen a buzzard. HAHA MVB ES

E.S., I'd BET that these birds, called "caracara," or "Mexican eagle," at least OCCASIONALLY go into Alabama and maybe even farther north. A few have been seen in Florida, and the first time I saw one here, I was CONVINCED the sucker was a bald eagle --- until I noticed it was smaller than a bald eagle AND it fed right alongside a flight of buzzards:

CARACARA/MEXICAN EAGLE

Pete, notice I didn't laugh and, as I said, I would never call somebody a liar. HOWEVER, I would REALLY have to see those hyenas with my own eyes to believe that one. I do hope that's not insulting, though. I know I have a strong urge to knock hell out of somebody who laughs at me when I KNOW what I'm talking about.

As to the UFOs, I spent many nights and many hours with a couple of friends in the South Texas brush waiting for them. EVERY time an airplane or a helicopter flew over, they were CONVINCED they were UFOs, and they finally got mad at me because I kept saying "Bullsh*t!" Thing about it was I REALLY wanted to SEE a UFO --- but NOT a freaking airplane or helicopter!

I've ALSO spent a number of hours in "haunted houses," calling "Heeeeeeeeeeere, Ghostie, Ghostie, Ghostie!" NOTHING...EVER! And I REALLY wanted to see a ghost, too!

Tell you one thing --- you track them hyenas down and take some pictures, or --- even BETTER --- TRAP one and you can make yourself a BUNCH of money! Wish I were young enough to help.

Jimmy

Jimmy, What really ticks me offf is to tell something nobody believes and starts laughing, then some nerd that can't tie his own shoes says He's right, then the crowd believes it. Like I don't know crap and he knows it all. VENT!VENT!VENT! Now I feel better. MVB ES