Reminds me of the big flood we had on the lower Pearl in 1990. I was working in NOLA at the time. I crossed the Pearl just at day break. There was a little high ground in the medium on the run up to the bridge. I swear, it looked like a scene from 'Bambi'. There were bears, hogs, deer, turkey, rabbits, foxes, coons, you name it all milling around. They were flooded out of Honey Island Swamp. It was a sight to see.
....and yes, there are 'panthers' or more precisely, jaguarundi, in Mississippi and south Alabama. My family sees and hears them frequently in northern Jackson County.
