Bulgaria wonders where the elusive black panther went after authorities end weeks-long search

_{Saturday 12th July 2025}

Social media has been flooded with memes and AI-generated images of the big cat, as well as folk songs about the black panther or puma from Shumen.

Jonathan Downes

Cryptozoologist, naturalist, musician, singer, composer, poet, novelist and Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology since 1992. Jon was born in Portsmouth in 1959 and spent his infancy in Nigeria and his childhood in Hong Kong. His wife Corinna died of cancer in 2020, leaving him with two stepdaughters and a six year old granddaughter called Evelyn.