Sunday 24 June 2018

PHOTO: Tigress with 2 cubs sighted in Mendora; patrolling staff on strike

Sighting of tigress T-123 along with two cubs at Mendora jungles kept forest officials on toes as patrolling staff is on strike. Regular patrolling in the area is almost stopped due to which officials are worried about the safety of tigress and cubs. MP Forest Employees Association is on strike for past two weeks due to which patrolling in several areas is stopped. The news of strike has gone viral everywhere and poachers are active in forest areas. Sources said poachers are active in Samardha range of forest where peacocks are available in large number.

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NEWSLINK: Crafty cougar caught, collared

There’s a new member of the local mountain lion population that’s being studied by the National Park Service.


P-54 became the 15th cougar fitted with a GPS collar when she was captured on Feb. 27 near the Pepperdine University campus in Malibu.


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NEWSLINK: Tweed panther spotted?

It's a story that's been told countless times.


A friend, or friend of a friend, spots what appears to be a big cat or panther and reignites the age-old debate on whether or not the creatures exist in the wild.


And only in rare cases is a photo ever produced, which is usually blurry or poor quality at best.

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Saturday 23 June 2018

CARL WRITES: 27/5/18 - Shinfield, Berkshire

Original story: Read here...

I am usually cautious when investigating British 'lioness' reports, as said previously concerning the so-called Birmingham Lion, these invariably turn out to be nothing more than large, faun coloured domestic dogs - sometimes feral. However, I have personally investigated a few credible reports of animals that do seem to be genuine pumas Puma concolor roaming wild in the British countryside; a good example can be found in Animals & Men Issue 52. Obviously being observed at 11 am on a Sunday morning does lend some credence to the validity of this sighting, as it would have been made under adequate lighting conditions, and at relatively close range.

However, this animal was also observed during what might be popular dog walking hours! And as we literally know nothing about Mr. Laidlaw's observational prowess in these matters (for instance does he where spectacles and approximately how far away was the animal from his point of observation?) at present, it's probably sensible to wait for further corresponding evidence before speculating further. This report, along with the lack of corresponding photographic or video evidence, and/or biological samples, unfortunately makes it inconclusive at best. Its encouraging however, that Mr. Laidlaw first tried to convince himself he was simply seeing a large domestic cat or a fox, as this is obviously good testimony to his character.

I suggest Mr. Laidlaw take a slow walk around the new Charles Church building site (and surrounding Brookers Hill area) and check for any physical evidence to back up his report (this is preferred as evidence, as an alternative to additional eyewitness reports which can only be considered anecdotal evidence at best) such as hairs snagged under a perimeter fence or machinery left over night, or pug-marks left in wet ground that belong to a big cat such as a puma (this should be done regularly and ASAP due to recent dry weather conditions). Its always worth taking the time to have a look! If more evidence is found it would also be a good idea for someone to set up at least one motion sensitive night vision camera, placed carefully somewhere at the sight.

If there really is a big cat living wild in this area of Berkshire it will likely be there for a while yet before moving on (in the Americas pumas have enormous ranges, in fact they have the largest of any terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere, so this animal will likely not be in the area indefinitely) and there may well be some more eyewitness reports, especially coming from people driving along the nearby M4 motorway at night or in the early morning. 

This report might well be authentic but without any other corresponding data we cant make any further deductions at this time. 

I would be happy to take a look at any plaster casts or biological samples if anything is forthcoming. 

Thursday 21 June 2018

NEWSLINK: Police arrest 7 suspects over killing of 9 lions

Police have arrested four more people on allegations of killing nine lions at Nyihanga in Songambele Hamlet, Nyichoka Village.

That brings to seven the number of people who have been arrested on allegations of poisoning the lions.

Nineteen lions have been killed in Serengeti District, Mara Region, since 2015.

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NEWSLINK: Two secret government reports saying the Blue Mountains Panther does exist were 'quietly torn up'

Black Panther taking a break.jpgTwo inquiries into the existence of a black panther concluded there was 'most likely' a big cat roaming in western Sydney but they were never released publicly - sparking claims of a cover up.


Hundreds of sightings of a big cat lurking in the Blue Mountains have been made and rumours of its existence have been circulating for more than a century, but there has never been any undisputed evidence.


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Thursday 14 June 2018

NEWSLINK: Two Sumatran tigers to make new home at Aussie zoo

Panthera tigris sumatrae2.jpgTwo Sumatran tigers will arrive at their new home at the Tasmania Zoo on Wednesday, making the brother and sister pair the first of their kind to arrive in the Australian state.


Travelling from Symbio Wildlife Park near Sydney, Cinta and Jalur are both 10 years old and originally came to Australia from New Zealand's Auckland Zoo when they were just two.


"Cinta, the female, can change moods every single day," Symbio Wildlife Park handler Julia Mendezona told local media.

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Wednesday 13 June 2018

CARL WRITES: 27/5/18 - Stirling, Stirlingshire

Original Story - A sighting near Stirling, UK

As is often frustratingly the case when analysing anomalous British Big Cat videos, it is very difficult to be at all conclusive, considering the inadequate visual quality of the Stirling footage. However, I believe it's safe to assume the animal captured here is certainly within the size ranges of both domestic cats (Felis catus) and Scotish wildcats (Felis silvestris grampia), and of course the genetically diluted hybrids between these two species. Going by the relatively isolated Scotish location, the observable dimensions of the animal compared with that of the background trees, hedges, and partition fencing; the animal recorded in this video could conceivably be either (or possibly, even if unlikely, both) of the above!

As far as I am aware, Stirling is only a short distance south of the Scotish wildcat's known geographic range, therefore if further evidence does eventually come forward that compliments this video there is a modest possibility this could be evidence of wildcat range extension, or further genetic hybridisation.

However, unless more independent evidence (video or otherwise) does come forward, it would be sensible at this time to suggest the animal recorded near Stirling was most likely nothing more than a large domestic moggie!

Unless of course the eyewitnesses and the journalists didn't intend to refer to this animal as a true Scotish wildcat (F. s. Grampia) and simply meant to imply it was an ABC, then in that case it almost certainly is not!

ABC - extremely unlikely.
F. s. grampia - unlikely.
F. s. grampia x F. catus hybrid - plausible.
F. catus - highly likely.

Sunday 10 June 2018

PHOTO: Blue Mountains 'panther' caught on camera - again

It's the Aussie legend that won't die and now the Blue Mountains panther has supposedly been caught on camera by a "freaked out tourist".


The Instagram account bluemtns_explore posted the photo, which shows what appears to be a big cat caught in a car's headlights.


The account claimed the photo was snapped at Pulpit Rock lookout, near Blackheath in the Blue Mountains.

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PHOTOS: Rare one-month-old tiger cubs as they are set to make public debut at a Chinese zoo

A park in north-east China welcomed 24 Siberian tiger cubs in the space of a month during mating season.


Pictures taken at the Shenyang Guaipo Siberian Tiger Park on Tuesday show the adorable tiger cubs curiously staring at the camera, with some frolicking with their siblings.


These rare tiger cubs are ready for their public debut on International Children's Day, which falls on June 1.


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NEWSLINK: 34 Leopards die each year in Rajasthan

Flickr - Rainbirder - Leopard.jpgWith an alarming average of 34 leopard deaths every year in Rajasthan, according to a report, as many as 238 big cats have died in the desert state from January 2012 to May 21, 2018.
Listed at par with tigers under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972, the population of leopards faces a serious challenge due to various reasons, prominent among those are man-animal conflicts, availability of prey base and road/train accidents.
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Thursday 7 June 2018

PHOTO: San Diego Zoo welcomes birth of 'rarest big cat' cubs

For the first time ever, a pair of Amur leopard cubs were born at the San Diego Zoo last month.


The zoo's 4-year-old Amur leopard, Satka, gave birth to the cubs on April 5 and has been spending time with them outside of the public eye since then, the zoo said. Officials are now allowing Satka to care for her young ones uninterrupted by zookeepers, so that she may lead in their care and build their relationship.


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NEWSLINK: Escaped big cats from German zoo back in their cages

Five dangerous big cats - two lions, two tigers and a jaguar - escaped their enclosures in a flooded German zoo Friday for several hours but were later reported back "in their cages".


Local residents near the zoo close to the Luxembourg border were warned to stay indoors while the predators were on the loose.


A bear, which also broke out of its enclosure at the Eifel Zoo in Luenebach, was shot dead, a spokesman for local authorities said.

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Wednesday 6 June 2018

NEWSLINK: Full Grown Leopard Found In Wrestling Arena Of Mumbai Gym

A leopard.jpgThe leopard was immediately taken to the SGNP leopard rescue centre. Around 9.30 am, Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar, from the Thane Forest Department (Territorial), reached the spot along with the leopard rescue team. It took forest department two hours to rescue the big cat on Sunday afternoonRescue volunteers point to the spot where the leopard was found in the gym at the SRPF camp in GoregaonPerhaps mistaking it for the 'Gym Corbett' park, a leopard entered a gymnasium in the SRPF camp adjacent to Aarey Milk Colony yesterday. "The animal is a fully grown male leopard, and is fit and healthy," added Dr Pethe. When he opened the door, he saw a leopard sitting in the corner.

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NEWSLINK: Florida school slammed after tiger is wheeled out in cage at jungle-themed prom

Sumatran Tiger 2 (6964693266).jpgA school in Florida has sparked outrage after a tiger in a cage was wheeled out for a jungle-themed prom.

Christopher Columbus High School was hosting its annual senior dance when the wild animal was brought to the event on Friday.

Video footage posted on Facebook shows the big cat frantically pacing inside the cage at the Double Tree Hilton Miami Airport Convention Centre.

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NEWSLINK: Lions and tiger poisoned by poachers trying to steal their teeth and claws

Three lions and one tiger were poisoned by poachers who planned to cut off their heads and paws for black magic potions, in South Africa. Predator park owner Justin Fernandes, 32, found his first white lion Elvis, his golden tabby tiger Kai and two other lions named Hercules and Taariq dead on Friday. Justin was forced to cremate all four of the big cats at the Jugomaro Predator Park in Limpopo, to prevent the poachers from digging up the bones and sell them to ‘witchdoctors’.

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VIDEO: Gruesome moment jaguar devours huge leatherback turtle on Costa Rica beach

Panthera onca at the Toronto Zoo.jpgThis is the horrifying moment a jaguar eats a leatherback turtle for supper in the middle of a beach.


In the clip, posted on Instagram, the big cat can be seen chewing on the head of the motionless sea creature on the Costa Rican coast.

The animal can be seen biting at the flesh of the stricken creature and flicking its tail as it devours the turtle. It is not clear whether the 2m-long jaguar killed the turtle itself or found it already dead.
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Tuesday 5 June 2018

NEWSLINK: 'There are cougars around:' Attack a stark reminder for Alberta family

When Laura Frost first read about a person being killed by a cougar recently in Washington state, she was immediately reminded that the big cats can be anywhere.

"We need to take it a lot more seriously than a lot of people do," said Frost, a professor emeritus in the biological sciences department at the University of Alberta. "This was a 100-pound cougar that attacked one person and killed another.

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Sunday 3 June 2018

VIDEO: Lion sent flying by buffalo

Video footage shows six big cats scramble in a bid to make the small reptile their lunch in the South African wilderness.


But one of them rises victorious from the pack and quickly drags the lizard off on its own, before laying down in preparation for a feast.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere appears a saviour in the form a huge buffalo.

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PHOTO, UK: Footage shows large 'wild cat' roaming in a field near Stirling

A Stirling couple claim to have spotted a large `wild cat’ roaming in a field between Stirling and Fallin.


Cainan and Stacey Roberts, both 27, spotted the mystery creature near their home on Sunday evening.

The pair had been driving home from a barbecue at a friend’s house at around 9pm when they saw an animal making its way across a field at Redhall Farm, near Fallin.

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VIDEO: Footage of big cats being held captive by Guatemalan circus

A total of 54 lions and tigers have been held by two circuses. The owners have been selling them, including a litter of tigers, to private collectors.

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