SIGHTINGS UK: Big cat spotted in Dreghorn

Big cat spotted in Dreghorn
Irvine Herald
As the Irvine Herald told it's readers last week, big cats are in decline – but not in North Ayrshire. Reports of incidents in Ayrshire appear to be down, but North Ayrshire seems to be yielding the majority of Ayrshire incidents within the last year ...

NEWSLINK: The fight to save the big cat is on

The fight to save the big cat is on
The Economist
IN THE dark the safest way to attack the lions was to catch them in the headlights of a car and run them over. Once the adults were downed it was easy enough to dispatch the cubs with spears and arrows. When the killing stopped last year in Kitengela ...

SIGHTINGS UK: Search is on for 'Pilling panther'

Search is on for 'Pilling panther' Lancashire Evening Post Danny Bamping of the British Big Cats Society said the latest report in Wyre was interesting as there had been a number of sightings of large cats noted in the area over the years. He said: “Looking at our data, about 70% of big cat sightings are of ... See all stories on this topic »

Lancashire Evening Post

NEWSLINK: Another big cat relocated, Sariska tiger count reaches 9

Another big cat relocated, Sariska tiger count reaches 9
Times of India
SARISKA: Re-populating of the Sariska tiger reserve continued for the second day on Wednesday with the relocation of yet another tigress from Ranthambhore. Two-year-old Beena 2, sibling of the tigress relocated on Tuesday, was tranquilized and taken by ...
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SIGHTINGS USA: How to handle a Florida Panther

How to handle a panther

Florida panther

By Lois Swoboda 

Published: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 13:40 PM.

A Florida panther is a subspecies of mountain lion or puma.

During the 1880s, a $5 bounty on the panthers encouraged their eradication, but the war on these cats failed, barely. In 1958 the panther was protected by law, and in 1967 was listed as endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. In 1973, when the cat population had shrunk to 60, it was added to the Florida endangered list.

There are now about 150 Florida panthers, most fitted with radio transmitter collars.The panther's diet consists of small animals like rabbits, rodents, waterfowl and sometimes larger animals like storks, white-tailed deer, and wild boar. They will also attack small farm animals like chickens and goats and companion animals like dogs and cats. Never leave an animal tied in an area where you suspect there may be a panther.

Read on...

SIGHTINGS USA: Black cat in Florida

Mystery cat stalking Eastpoint
Apalachicola Times
Three years after the debate started over the existence of large black cats in and around Tate's Hell, an island woman says she has spotted one in residential Eastpoint. On Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 7:45 p.m., Mary Lou Short was returning to her St. George ...

NEWSLINK: Merged] Zambia bans hunting of big cats - Natural World ...

Merged] Zambia bans hunting of big cats - Natural World ...
[Merged] Zambia bans hunting of big cats - posted in Natural World: Zambia has announced a ban on hunting lions and leopards, saying the numbers of big cats ...

NEWSLINK: Nebraska hunters could be targeting mountain lions by - Omaha.com

Nebraska hunters could be targeting mountain lions by - Omaha.com
Des Moines police killed a big cat near an elementary school in October. ... During a commission meeting in Omaha, Wilson said big cats from South Dakota, ...

SIGHTINGS USA: Big Cat Greenwich « Connecticut Mountain Lion

Big Cat Greenwich « Connecticut Mountain Lion
Big Cat Greenwich. Yesterday evening around 9:15 pm, I was driving on Sherwood Avenue in Greenwich, CT. I had just made the turn off of Nutmeg Drive , when ...

NEWSLINK: The Stochastic Scientist: Can broken teeth explain big cat extinction?

The Stochastic Scientist: Can broken teeth explain big cat extinction?
About 7% of modern big cats and 9% of modern hyenas have broken teeth, whereas 36% of the extinct lion and 11% of saber-toothed cats had broken teeth.

Why did American lions (Panthera atrox, top left) and saber-toothed cats (alluringly named Smilodon fatalis, bottom left) go extinct some 12,000 years ago? One hypothesis is that the predators fell on hard times as their prey was either culled by competing humans or decimated by climate change. The rational behind this idea is that the carnivores found at the La Brea tar pits (yes, I know how redundant this is) in California had a lot of broken teeth. About 7% of modern big cats and 9% of modern hyenas have broken teeth, whereas 36% of the extinct lion and 11% of saber-toothed cats had broken teeth. This led researchers to wonder if the large cats were forced to consume high amounts of bone as their prey diminished.

Read on...

NEWSLINK: The Peterborough panther! Cuddly toy spotted outside police station ...

The Peterborough panther! Cuddly toy spotted outside police station ...
Eagle-eyed Marc Peacock-Smith took this picture of what appears to be the outline of a black panther-like creature outside Thorpe Wood police station in ...

NEWSLINK: A cat can look like a king – majestic Ussuri rules zoo

A cat can look like a king – majestic Ussuri rules zoo
Irish Independent
But the zoo said Ireland's own cold front this month would have little effect on the big cat: "There's no need to worry about the recent drop in temperature because the cold doesn't bother these guys. With a thick coat of coarse fur, Amur tigers are ...

SIGHTINGS TV: Big cat sighting in Irvine

Big cat sighting in Irvine
Irvine Herald
Despite incidents being down by half, big cat sightings are alive and well in Irvine. Big cat investigators feared the creatures could be dying out after sightings plummeted to their lowest in 25 years. But experts claim the sighting in Irvine gives ...

UK SIGHTING: Panther-like creature seen stalking chickens near Stroud

Panther-like creature seen stalking chickens near Stroud
This is Gloucestershire
Her sighting is not far from several others, including the spot where Stroud mum Coryn Memory captured video footage of what could be a big cat in a field near her home. One year ago, sightings in the Five Valleys were coming in thick and fast after ...
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SIGHTINGS UK: Big cat sightings on the increase in northern Lincolnshire as stripped animal ...

Big cat sightings on the increase in northern Lincolnshire as stripped animal ...
This is Grimsby
"One day, I found entrails in the middle of a field and the carcass in a ditch, as though it had been dragged somewhere sheltered – which is something a big cat might do." The black cat that Mr Elliott described must be a different one to the sandy ...

SIGHTINGS UK: The Peterborough Panther

The Peterborough panther! Cuddly toy spotted outside police station sparks big ...
Daily Mail
The sighting rekindled speculation about the mythical 'Beast of Bretton' - a large black cat reputedly sighted in Peterborough and most recently spotted on a footpath in Mallard Road, Bretton, by Royal Mail worker Clive Williams in August 2011. Mr ...

SIGHTING: puma like big cat striking again in rural wales

A big cat farmers believe has been roaming rural West Wales for more than two years is alleged to have struck again.

Lamb farmer Lyn Williams is adamant a puma-like creature, which he has spotted on previous occasions, has mauled eight of his sheep in two weeks.

The Pembrokeshire farmer, who produces lamb at Hill Farm, Prince’s Gate, said the creature left a trail of destruction.

He said: “Over a two-week period I lost seven ewes and a ram, they were being picked off every other night.

“They were completely eaten; all that was left behind was the skin and skeletons.

“The animal had done a very neat job, you could see where the ribs had been chewed and licked clean.

“If a dog had been responsible there would have been wool about the place, but that wasn’t the case.”

Mr Williams told the Western Telegraph newspaper he would not let his children roam the Pembrokeshire countryside for fear of another attack.

Mr Williams has reported the latest incident to the Welsh Government and police.

“We have got dogs on the farmyard, but you just don’t know what this creature is capable of,” he said.

“I don’t think any of us will feel completely safe until this thing is caught.”

The latest incidents bear an uncanny resemblance to a spate of attacks reported by Wales on Sunday two years ago in the very same tiny Pembrokeshire village.

In November 2010 at least nine confirmed sightings of the beast, described as a huge jet-black cat, were made over a period of just a few days in Prince’s Gate.

Livestock had also been reported missing.

Farmer John Mathias, of Parcsaison, Princes Gate, said at the time: “A couple of years ago, I saw it carrying a big lamb in its mouth across my yard. It left a paw print in the slurry, and it was the width across of my glasses.

“I’ve seen it about 100 yards away from me, I could see its green eyes, there was no mistaking it for another animal, It looked like pictures I’ve seen of panthers in the wild.” he said.

A previous cluster of big cat sightings throughout Pembrokeshire was in 2006, with reports coming in from as far afield as Johnston, Clynderwen, Newgale, St Florence and Steynton.

Big cats are known to have a hunting range of 50 miles in one night.

The Welsh Government has confirmed that, of 11 big cat sightings logged in Wales over the past 12 months, six were in Pembrokeshire.

Big cat consultant and expert tracker Danny Nineham is adamant thFor more Infomationat large predators are roaming West Wales.

He said: “There are a lot of big cats in West Wales, I’ve seen them myself, and investigated a number of sightings in Pembrokeshire.

“We’ve got leopards, black leopards or panthers, pumas, American bobcats, you name it.”

Cats such as leopards and pumas provided popular fashion accessories in the 1960s and 1970s and could be bought legally in Harrods.

In 1976 the Dangerous Animals Act made keeping big cats illegal without an expensive licence, driving some exotic cat owners to dump their prized pets in the wild.

Due to a loophole in the law, iIt was not illegal until 1981 to release a big cat into the UK countryside.

Mr Nineham said: “These animals are not indigenous to this country, but the reason why they’re so elusive is because they are adaptable.

“In the Victorian age, these animals became common pets with the rich and elite.

“Travelling circuses would use them and of course many would have escaped.

“One thing is for sure about these cats, they are very good at finding each other.

“And although they don’t officially exist, according to the police or wildlife records, I can tell you they are certainly around.”

NEWSLINK: Mystery cat of Lincoln, Nebraska

'Life of Pi' in Lincoln? Big cat is hybrid domestic cat
Lincoln Journal Star
The cat is not hard to miss because of its leopard-like spots and size. It weighs 20 to 22 pounds. "When people see it, they think, 'Gee whiz, that's a big cat!'" Beal said. Both Animal Control and the zoo have received calls about seeing the cat ...



Animal Control Searches for Large Cat
1011now
"Holy crap! That thing is big! I've never seen anything like that," said Mikala Norgaard, after she saw the picture of a large cat. The cat was spotted in Lincoln on Thursday near 66th and Vine, but people are still talking. Norgaard thinks the cat ...

SIGHTINGS: Farmers report puma-like big cat striking again in rural Wales

Farmers report puma-like big cat striking again in rural Wales
WalesOnline
A big cat farmers believe has been roaming rural West Wales for more than two years is alleged to have struck again. Lamb farmer Lyn Williams is adamant a puma-like creature, which he has spotted on previous occasions, has mauled eight of his sheep in ...

SIGHTINGS UK: Big Cat spotted in Lincoln

Large Cat Spotted Roaming in Lincoln
1011now
Kirsten Confer was driving near 66th and Vine on Thursday, when she saw something out of the ordinary. "I looked to my right, and there was a cat," said Confer, "and it kind of looked like... I thought maybe it was a bobcat." The cat was bigger than an ...

LINK: Zambia Bans Lion And Leopard Hunting, As Big Cats Disappear

Zambia Bans Lion And Leopard Hunting, As Big Cats Disappear International Business Times Sylvia Masebo, the country's tourism minister, said the rapid decline in the big cat population would hurt tourist revenues, and that there are simply not enough of the wild felines left to allow hunting them. "Tourists come to Zambia to see the lion ... Zambia bans hunting of lions and other big cats Wired.co.uk Zambia has banned the hunting of lions and other endangered big cats as more money can be made from tourism than hunting. Zambia's minister for tourism Sylvia Masebo told Reuters that the estimated £1.8 million that the country had earned annually from ...

FROM THE TEXAS BOW HUNTERS FORUM

Have you seen a big cat? - TexasBowhunter.com Community Discussion ...
Back in November I was sitting in the stand when shortly after first light I heard a cat comin UNGLUED! Thought maybe two cats were fighting over breakfast so ...

Back in November I was sitting in the stand when shortly after first light I heard a cat comin UNGLUED! Thought maybe two cats were fighting over breakfast so payed it no mind. The following weekend while traveling to my stand I caught the odor. Checked it out and found the biggest male bobcat I've ever seen dead with his junk eatin off. Seen it before when a coyote gets ahold of a fox first hand back in Indiana! Hard to believe there could be a bobcat bigger than him, but God I sure hope so.

NEWSLINK: Zambia bans big cat hunts

Zambia bans big cat hunts
iAfrica.com
Without giving the exact figures, she said that Zambia does not have adequate stocks of cats such as leopards and lions hence the decisions to ban the hunting of the species. "Although there is evidence that safari hunting and wildlife record income ...

NEWSLINK: Dog groomed to look like a lion sparks big cat police panic

Dog groomed to look like a lion sparks big cat police panic
Metro
A harmless Labradoodle sparked fears of a big cat on the loose in the US after being mistaken by members of the public for a lion. US police responded to calls from panicked residents in Norfolk, Virginia, who rang 911 claiming a fearsome jungle cat ...

NEWSLINK: Wineka column: Tiger beat — Big cats love the allure of discarded Christmas trees

Wineka column: Tiger beat — Big cats love the allure of discarded Christmas trees
Salisbury Post
Mohan, a 2-year-old white tiger, takes a break from playing with discarded Christmas tree in one of the tiger enclosures at Tiger World in Southeastern Rowan County. The trees are used to help stimulate activity in the animals. During the traditional ...

NEWSLINK: TiG Big Cat vote reveals thousands believe in monster felines

TiG Big Cat vote reveals thousands believe in monster felines
This is Gloucestershire
Big cat tracker Frank Tunbridge, who has trip cameras set up across the county in the hope of capturing the elusive animal on film, said he wasn't surprised by the results of our online poll. "People want to see proof," he said. "They want to see good ...

NEWSLINK: Mission Possible: Living with the big cat

Mission Possible: Living with the big cat
The Hindu
If enhancing funds for tiger conservation is high on its agenda, the government is also facing the huge challenge of man-animal conflict. Reports of loss of life, livestock and crops in animal attacks are not uncommon. A drive down Bhopal's new ...

NEWSLINK: Tigers Roar Back: Great News for Big Cats in Key Areas - Care2 ...

Tigers Roar Back: Great News for Big Cats in Key Areas - Care2 ...
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has announced significant progress for tigers in three key landscapes across the big cat's range due to better law ...
www.care2.com/news/member/100041282/3509364

FEATURELINK: Big cats from the past

Tales of big cats from the past
Greene County Daily World (blog)
There's always been tales of big cats in the area and yesterday Sabrina Westfall ran into an old column in a back issue dated Jan. 8, 1988. It was written by Mike Dickerson in his column called "Smoke Signals." Here's what it said, slightly edited ...

NEWSLINK: Drop in big cat reports to Devon and Cornwall Police

Drop in big cat reports to Devon and Cornwall Police
BBC News
The number of big cat sightings reported to Devon and Cornwall Police has dropped from 28 in 2000 to four in 2012, latest figures show. The figures, up until September, were revealed in a Freedom of Information request by BBC News. Experts said they ...
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