Several years ago my Great Dane pulled a critter out of a tree and killed it. It was about three feet long, plus tail. I picked it up and estimate it weighed 40-50 pounds. The dogs took off with it before I could get a picture. I looked on the internet and decided it was some kind of marten. Problem, this is Alabama. The wild life guy I talked to assured me it was a mink, not a marten. I’ve seen mink and this was no mink.
There are more and more sightings of stuff that does live here. Bears, cougars, black panthers, martens and lord know what all.
Wildlife deniers are everywhere.
I have read that there are no bears in Alabama, but that's not necessarily true.
As a native Alabamian, I can say with a great deal of certainty that there were mountain lions in an area 20 miles northeast of Birmingham in 1948. I was hunting with my grandpa then and we distinctively heard one screaming on a ledge right above us. The dogs were our protection, so we didn't worry. I'll bet that they are still there in very secluded areas.