Big cat paw print identification in Fife

[Marts]

In the article is says not to worry about the presence of these cats because if you leave them alone they'll leave you alone. I think that point is debatable. In my experience it only holds true for large men or groups. Women or children alone by themselves, or an injured person would certainly draw the attention of these "big cats." Unless of course its only a bobcat or lynx. A cougar, jaguar, or leopard would certainly attack a person if it thought it was an easy kill. What do you guys think?

My first post by the way. Seems like a great place.

Interesting, but the specific question was what happens to the big cats remains when they die and why are so few remains found by trackers like RA?

Welcome to BCUK BTW Fiddleback

 

[Jack]

Do you know what chaps, we get phone every week, with out fail, with regards to big cats. We are no experts on big cats at all but we do sell a piece of kit that the big cats guys adore.

Had a call this week from a lady who has seen leopards in Wales and as stange as this may seem we have the a chap come into the office this afternoon who is the Dorset recorder for sightings down here.

Here is a great link to a great site http://www.britishbigcats.org/

 

[RovingArcher]

Do you know why this is RA? - lack of big cat carcasses I mean?
Is it the same for Wolves, bears or other predators, or is it something specific to the big cats?

It's probably that I havn't been in the right place at the right time.

 

[Paganwolf]

What do you recon on this then?

[/IMG]

 

[Marts]

hind foot of a domestic cat?
(What do I know )

 

[RovingArcher]

Left rear something or other. Not sure the size of the opi, never held one, but the conformation of the track, as compared to my manx, is about the same. If the knife is 4" or so, it's a smaller track than my manx will leave. Maybe rounder toes on the pictured track, though the claws are visible to a degree.

Like the man said, what the heck do I know.

 

[pierre girard]

In the article is says not to worry about the presence of these cats because if you leave them alone they'll leave you alone. I think that point is debatable. In my experience it only holds true for large men or groups. Women or children alone by themselves, or an injured person would certainly draw the attention of these "big cats." Unless of course its only a bobcat or lynx. A cougar, jaguar, or leopard would certainly attack a person if it thought it was an easy kill. What do you guys think?

My first post by the way. Seems like a great place.

I'm not even too sure about lynx. The largest one I ever saw was 8 foot from tip of nose to end of tail (trapped). In spite of what I read on the web about their size - they can get mighty big.

PG

 

[BOD]

Interesting, but the specific question was what happens to the big cats remains when they die and why are so few remains found by trackers like RA?

Welcome to BCUK BTW Fiddleback

Big cats are predators. If they die it is through illness or wounds so, as someone said, they return to their den or a secluded place unlike prey which die more or less on the spot.

People walk mainly on or near trails the last place which a wounded animal would choose to be near so the chances of finding an intact skeleton are low.

So its the scavengers that get to them and the remains rapidly get dispersed and tend to move toward lower ground as they are worried and soon get grown over as they decompose. Can you recall how long it took to find the remains of the English backpacker who was probably taken down by dingoes on Fraser island? That was a co-ordinated search effort.

How many of us can identify a bone other than a skull let alone the animal it came from? I was recently talking with a 70 year old Iban blacksmith about an unidentified partial skeleton found in the forest and he got the parts all mixed up when trying to reassemble them and he has spent nearly his entire life in that area so waht chance does an ordinary person?

Still I hope there are big cats in Britain. There's nothing like the feeling that a top predator is around somewhere

 

[anthonyyy]

Not knocking these articles, but how come no-one ever recovers a body or skeleton from one of these big cats?

They've been around for decades now, supposedly from Bodmin to Yorkshire. I know big cats are solitary, but I'm amazed that I have never seen an article on a body being recovered, a skull found etc. Is there a "big cat graveyard" soemwhere?

I have to agree.

 

[bambodoggy]

What do you recon on this then?

I know...I know...I know!!!!!





Ok, I only know coz you told me the other day..... ....but I still know! lol

 

[ScottC]

Looks like a big cat print perhaps an Ocelot, depends where you were when you took the photo.

 

[Stuart]

What do you recon on this then?

I know very little about track identification but looking at the track in that picture, it doesn’t take much imagination to realize that you could make a track exactly like that using your fingers if you were so inclined.

Especially when you look at how deep the recesses are between the pads, how defined the walls of the print are and who would know the difference between a real cat print and a good fake except for an experienced expert?

 

[RovingArcher]

Exactly right Stuart. Tracks are easily forged and any track as clear and perfect as the one pictured makes me a bit suspect. It's just darned difficult to tell by looking at just one track in a photo.

 

[Fallow Way]

ok to put it another way, I appreciate the difference between a print from a book and a print on the ground (in general but also...) having spent a few days this past year in Zoos looking at tracks of animals not familiar to our fair isle.

 

[Marts]

I know very little about track identification but looking at the track in that picture, it doesn’t take much imagination to realize that you could make a track exactly like that using your fingers if you were so inclined.

Especially when you look at how deep the recesses are between the pads, how defined the walls of the print are and who would know the difference between a real cat print and a good fake except for an experienced expert?

Good point Stuart.
Are you just pulling legs here PW?

 

[Paganwolf]

Stuart im surprised at you for thinking foul play is afoot tut tut it was on a jungle path with a Pecary pass going across it, perfect jungle highway with a perfect track trap and Scotty your spot on! LOL ive just got back from Costa Rica, go on some one told ya didnt they BAM!! Oh Scott have you used that charcloth maker that Martin made you? anyway remind me to give you a Cigar when i see you

 

[bambodoggy]

Nope, I never said a word to him! I thought you might have told him so if neither of us did then... WELDONE Scott

 

[Paganwolf]

OI SCOTT !!!! crafty bleeder :twak: i just sussed how you knew! i thought it was a flippin good guess!! LOL

 

[ScottC]

Nah I think those tracking boots I won must be rubbing off on me

P.S I never got that charcloth maker!

 

[Paganwolf]

:yelrotflm