It's a colour phase for leopard too. Highly unlikely it's a leopard based on the reported evidence, as you've not reported people finding eviscerated livestock and deer cached up trees.
Wild Cats (Pumas?)
- Thread starter caffeine
- Start date
-
Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.
I had an interesting experience on the moor here one night a few years ago. I was camped on a hillside and was mildly the worse for wear on account of herbal cigarettes. It was nearly dark, and I suddenly saw a big cat bounding across the hillside opposite. I was totally of sure of what I saw - for about 10 seconds, then did a double take as I realised it was just a calf belonging to the herd of cattle further up. It was small, black, had a long long tail, and was fairly belting along. It made me laugh and realise how even someone with plenty of wildlife-watching experience could see a big cat. Actual cat releases/escapes and other evidence notwithstanding, I suspect that darkness and intoxication play a role in the big cat story.
Interesting you mention this. I was running my dogs last night and whilst one was off sniffing around I noticed a large (in comparison to a fox, which is the only thing I would expect to see there) dark figure slinking through the grass and onto the fairway in front of me. A few things
- It was big enough that I thought it was my deerhound
- as I whistled thinking it was my dog the creature picked up pace, and headed for cover
- I was able to view it for about 30 seconds, if a) I had only seen it for the first 15 seconds and (b) I wasnt on my local golf course I would have been sure I'd seen something extraordinary.
By the time my dog came around he picked up the scent of what I now believe to be a large dark fox. As I was in the same spot I watched him run the same route the animal had taken, meaning I could make a comparison of size etc without perspective etc skewing things too much.
I was pretty excited to have a wee flutter for all of 5 seconds thinking I was watching an escaped wolverine or some such, however I had a few more facts at my disposal and was able to disapoint myself.
- It was big enough that I thought it was my deerhound
- as I whistled thinking it was my dog the creature picked up pace, and headed for cover
- I was able to view it for about 30 seconds, if a) I had only seen it for the first 15 seconds and (b) I wasnt on my local golf course I would have been sure I'd seen something extraordinary.
By the time my dog came around he picked up the scent of what I now believe to be a large dark fox. As I was in the same spot I watched him run the same route the animal had taken, meaning I could make a comparison of size etc without perspective etc skewing things too much.
I was pretty excited to have a wee flutter for all of 5 seconds thinking I was watching an escaped wolverine or some such, however I had a few more facts at my disposal and was able to disapoint myself.
That sounds cool!! and possible evidence of a big cat!! But all these "beasts" that have been sighted have not been backed up by kill's, tracks or other tangible evidence - an animal as large as a puma needs to eat and their main object would be livestock as prey. Very few reports of carcasses lying around our countryside
So still a non-believer!!
just a little weird i thought more people might have noticed them on here
after a little digging im pretty convinced there's more than one species roaming about
i suppose as one man put it in the vids i've been watching ''I know what I saw, I don't care what the skeptics say' until you see it i doubt you'd believe it I didnt believe it until i saw what i did
after a little digging im pretty convinced there's more than one species roaming about
i suppose as one man put it in the vids i've been watching ''I know what I saw, I don't care what the skeptics say' until you see it i doubt you'd believe it I didnt believe it until i saw what i did
That sounds cool!! and possible evidence of a big cat!! But all these "beasts" that have been sighted have not been backed up by kill's, tracks or other tangible evidence - an animal as large as a puma needs to eat and their main object would be livestock as prey. Very few reports of carcasses lying around our countryside
How about this?
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80100&p=985247#post985247
Or this?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4830320.stm
like I said seeing a dark shape in the early hours of the morning does not constitute proof. I've seen too many people 'who knew for definite' wheel out dog prints as 'proof' to be convinced by someone saying 'I saw it so it must be true'
'proof', for me anyway, is a well documented (with photos) carcass of the actual animal , with analysis by experts and DNA testing to prove that it's not just some roided up moggy.
A lot of people reckon that as no one has ever found a dead one that they can't be here. I remember watching adocumentary about bigfoot and this argument has been used for them. He said that in 20/30 years of being a ranger he has seen countless live bears but never a dead one. Bottom line is dead things don'y lie around for long in the wild.
Again.
How about this?
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/sho...247#post985247
Or this?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4830320.stm
Both of those links are pretty small cats; a looooong way from a puma. And doubtful if a lynx would chase a dog as the farmer reported. You use dogs chasing cats to hunt them.
just a little background I grew up on a farm in france so im very used to seeing domestic and agricultural animals (what i saw was neither)
but like you say some definitive proof would be good
it all stems from when they changed the law in the 1970s they changed the law so u needed and expensive licence, enclosure and a 24hr minder when it became expensive lots of people let them free because although it was illegal to own them after the law was passed it was not against the law to set them free they changed the law in the 1980's making it illegal to set them free in the uk (this was done because people were sighting them in the wild)
the general public got scared and the government sent in 2 members os the SAS to shoot it ... they managed to spot a large black cat but never got a shot on it.
maybe a wild cat tracking event could be arranged ? that would be fun lol could gain some publicity
Unless there are quite a few of these cat's breeding, in which case there would be far more reports and proof, this has got to be the oldest cat on record.
Those cats are not 'big' cats, neither are they domestics but they are way bigger than domestics.
You have to remember that the general public are very dim and, 'if' they saw anything larger than a domestic, their minds would run wild.
I wouldn't trust just any persons judgement - there was a newspaper article a while back where somebody found a dead otter and the paper photographed it and claimed it was a big cat - there are other people, however, who I would believe.
On the subject of dogs, they're even used to hunt lions. Depends on the dog though.
And how many black labradors have been mistaken for panthers ?
Precisely. Not forgetting cuddly toys.
Dude, who says things dont lie around long in the wild? I find the remains of badgers, foxes, birds, ponies, sheep, cows, rabbits lying about the place most days of the week.
any links to an article about this? I don't understand why you'd send special forces after big cats when there are hundreds of professional hunters, gamekeepers, deerstalkers who are better qualified to do it
Similar threads
