Is this spooky photo proof of a mountain lion in Alabama? State experts weigh in

A spooky photo taken in Alabama is being cited as evidence mountain lions — also known as cougars and “ghost cats” — are again roaming the state.

The grainy black and white image features a feline-like creature with short hair and long legs, standing on someone’s lawn.

It was taken recently by a property owner in the southern part of the state, and the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division took the matter seriously enough to examine the photo.

Experts who examined the photo do not believe it’s a mountain lion, the wildlife agency said in a Facebook post.

“We get a lot of photos sent to us of animals that people suspect are mountain lions,” the agency wrote.

“We are very interested in being able to document this species, so in a case where there is any question what we are looking at, we investigate,” the post read. “Alas, here you see one of our biologists confirming that this feline was just like all the rest. It’s a house cat.”

State biologists shared a photo of a man standing with a dog at the same spot to offer some visual perspective.

However, the department says it doesn’t believe any amount of evidence will quell widespread belief that mountain lions have returned to Alabama.

“It’s a phenomenon in many states,” the state posted on Facebook.

“Although mountain lions have not been documented in Alabama for a number of decades, we are eager to see any real evidence of them since they are found in some neighboring states. Most pictures we are sent are domestic cats or bobcats, and others are foxes, coyotes, domestic dogs, and even raccoon,” the state wrote.

Mountain lions, or eastern cougars, once “lived in every Eastern state in a variety of habitats including coastal marshes, mountains and forests,” according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Their eastern range is now limited to small pockets of Florida, the service says.

However, some hunters, hikers and conspiracy theorists maintain the large cats have moved undetected back across the Southeast and are experts at hiding themselves — like Bigfoot.

This includes a widespread belief they live in both Carolinas and that one may have been responsible for the unexplained killing of a 77-year-old school teacher clawed to death last year in Beaufort County, N.C.

Investigators have yet to declare what kind of animal killed Brenda Hamilton, even with DNA testing, which only determined the animal was canine in nature, McClatchy News reported last year.

Conspiracy theorists believe wildlife experts are trying to keep the big cats a secret to prevent them from being hunted to extinction.

“I honestly believe you could take one to them (state officials) and they would say it’s a damn house cat,” posted Branson Shaver on the Alabama wildlife department’s Facebook page.

“We do have them here. I had one run by my tree stand,” Jason Hendrix said on Facebook.

“They are here! I’ve seen 1, my friend has seen 1, and I’ve talked to decent amount of other outdoorsmen that have seen them,” Michael Hawkins posted.

“I don’t understand why y’all are so (hesitant) to admit that there are at least a few in Alabama and there’s no way I believe y’all haven’t seen or recorded any,” he wrote.

This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 6:57 AM with the headline "Is this spooky photo proof of a mountain lion in Alabama? State experts weigh in."