TRACKS: Who dunnit?

[Retired Member southey]

Very cool read indeed guys, Jon have you seen any fur in the tracks them selves, where you found the tracks with a lot of mud pushed up between, is it in on a part of track that floods in heavy rain? or just a low point? it looks like quite firm ground on the first pics judging by the MB track depth compared to the paw print? the second pic (close up) the toe pad print closest to the rule looks to have some regular shaped ridges in it any idea what could have caused that? also the pad print second from the left, it looks as though what made it was given a twist when it pulled out?

I have in the past stuck my tarp firmly in the NO BIG CATS!! camp, but I am approaching this from a hopefully level point of view dudes.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Keep on, if you don't mention stuff, I might not look for it.

OK here's one for you, if you find any poo, or of what's left of the original find, open it up,( with a stick of course), as big cat droppings will/do contain remnants of their tucker ( fur,feathers, bits of bone), , a dog's digestion is more thorough ( & it's unlikly rex is pulling down game), not too sure about badgers, but I don't suspect they would have bits of deer jaw bone in thier offerings........ good luck!

 

[Ronnie]

Personally I'm reluctant to out and out say it's a cat as people who claim they have found such evidence get shot down in flames and ridiculed. But I'm at a loss as to what it is outside that possibility. The size and shape are like nothing I've seen before in this country.

I was under the impression that feral big cats alive and well in the British countryside was pretty much regarded as fact.

http://britishbigcats.blogspot.com/
http://outdoors.caledonianmercury.c...g-leaves-experienced-hillwalker-baffled/00783

The Romans were pretty fond of exotic animals, and certainly brought them to the British Isles. The 1976 Dangerous Animals Act meant it was suddenly became extremely expensive, bureaucratic, and often impossible to keep large predators. Many were simply let loose. Then there are various documented escapes from circuses, zoos etc.

Remember, the Snow Leopard was regarded by many as a mythical beast - it's only recently that they've been photographed and filmed.

 

[JonathanD]

Very cool read indeed guys, Jon have you seen any fur in the tracks them selves, where you found the tracks with a lot of mud pushed up between, is it in on a part of track that floods in heavy rain? or just a low point? it looks like quite firm ground on the first pics judging by the MB track depth compared to the paw print? the second pic (close up) the toe pad print closest to the rule looks to have some regular shaped ridges in it any idea what could have caused that? also the pad print second from the left, it looks as though what made it was given a twist when it pulled out?

I have in the past stuck my tarp firmly in the NO BIG CATS!! camp, but I am approaching this from a hopefully level point of view dudes.

The track doesn't really flood, but as it dips and winds, it had depressions with loose earth covering it from some outlying badger sett excavations. It is firm ground, but the loose earth from the setts makes a few nice print catches after rain. When the bike went over, it was damp, but had slight rain after for about an hour that night before the animal walked over. The mountain bike is on teh outer part of the path which is slightly higher and drier. The ridges in the prints are from hair between the pad. The one you are looking at, seems to have had the outer toe slip out as the animal put it's weight down.

I've not found any fur as such, but did attempt a cast that went wrong and it has caught a very thin wispy sandy blonde hair from between the pads.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

I was under the impression that feral big cats alive and well in the British countryside was pretty much regarded as fact.

http://britishbigcats.blogspot.com/
http://outdoors.caledonianmercury.c...g-leaves-experienced-hillwalker-baffled/00783

The Romans were pretty fond of exotic animals, and certainly brought them to the British Isles. The 1976 Dangerous Animals Act meant it was suddenly became extremely expensive, bureaucratic, and often impossible to keep large predators. Many were simply let loose. Then there are various documented escapes from circuses, zoos etc.

Remember, the Snow Leopard was regarded by many as a mythical beast - it's only recently that they've been photographed and filmed.

Yes the UK does seem to have a stable population of "big cats".....the enigma is sightings rarely concure, photographic evidence is blurred, tracks are unidentifiable, even by experts & the livestock killed by them offers little evidence as to the perpetrator.............................Yes the romans did introduce exotic furries into blighty, notably, the rabbit.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Cheers dude, just to put it out there, i've seen tracks from huskies that looked similar and could be close to the size, without any sign of claws due to heavy running on the forest gravel/hardcore tracks around the woodland just south of Forres, any chance it could be something of a similar breed?

 

[JonathanD]

Cheers dude, just to put it out there, i've seen tracks from huskies that looked similar and could be close to the size, without any sign of claws due to heavy running on the forest gravel/hardcore tracks around the woodland just south of Forres, any chance it could be something of a similar breed?

Could be, I'll look into husky prints. This animal was certainly walking though, not running. But it is a possibility that I would rate higher than a big cat. I'll check em out now.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

The track doesn't really flood, but as it dips and winds, it had depressions with loose earth covering it from some outlying badger sett excavations. It is firm ground, but the loose earth from the setts makes a few nice print catches after rain. When the bike went over, it was damp, but had slight rain after for about an hour that night before the animal walked over. The mountain bike is on teh outer part of the path which is slightly higher and drier. The ridges in the prints are from hair between the pad. The one you are looking at, seems to have had the outer toe slip out as the animal put it's weight down.

I've not found any fur as such, but did attempt a cast that went wrong and it has caught a very thin wispy sandy blonde hair from between the pads.

You've been holding back on us ! whispy blond hair, the hair between dog's pads is short & a little coarse ( someone will say " my dog has wavy blond fur between his pads", I know!).

 

[JonathanD]

You've been holding back on us ! whispy blond hair, the hair between dog's pads is short & a little coarse ( someone will say " my dog has wavy blond fur between his pads", I know!).

I only found it about an hour ago after I cleaned the dry mud off the cast I took. The entire print has collapsed though, which I'm really disapointed about, but it is a fine hair. We have DNA

 

[Retired Member southey]

You've been holding back on us ! whispy blond hair, the hair between dog's pads is short & a little coarse ( someone will say " my dog has wavy blond fur between his pads", I know!).

Hahaha, and would have to me first too, My dog has inch and a half long white hair between her toes, winter coat, i run with her every day on tarmac and trail and its still there. it very firm though, if you run your hand through the rest of her coat you will come away with a few hairs but the paw hair is very hard to pull out, and the crys don't make it easy either!

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Could be, I'll look into husky prints. This animal was certainly walking though, not running. But it is a possibility that I would rate higher than a big cat. I'll check em out now.

True, huskies do have a more rounded print, it's very unlikly a dog would "walk" in a more or less strait line (a cat would) their normal gait is the trot & the only dog that will walk in a strait line is a blind one.......the tracks would be darting left & right as the mutt " investigated"..........A husky running loose would'nt be good news for the wildlife either...........

 

[JonathanD]

The only husky prints I could find are these....

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Hahaha, and would have to me first too, My dog has inch and a half long white hair between her toes, winter coat, i run with her every day on tarmac and trail and its still there. it very firm though, if you run your hand through the rest of her coat you will come away with a few hairs but the paw hair is very hard to pull out, and the crys don't make it easy either!

exactly, it's there to stay & doesn't come off unless it's got mange.

 

[Retired Member southey]

If it had been out and about for a bit, its coat could be in a bit of a state though?

 

[Retired Member southey]

The only husky prints I could find are these....

Ummmm? are they conspicuous by there absence?

 

[blacktimberwolf]

I only found it about an hour ago after I cleaned the dry mud off the cast I took. The entire print has collapsed though, which I'm really disapointed about, but it is a fine hair. We have DNA

You're forgiven, DNA is only contained in the bulb.......but get it down to the lab straight away, you never know.

 

[JonathanD]

More...

 

[blacktimberwolf]

More...

sorry, siberian husky is off the list........try again

 

[JonathanD]

 

[blacktimberwolf]

If it had been out and about for a bit, its coat could be in a bit of a state though?

Nebraska ?