Phantom cat
From The Book of THoTH (Leaves of Wisdom)
Phantom cats or alien big cats (ABCs) are a phenomenon of Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. The reported sightings, tracks and injuries indicate large felines, like exotic panthers or pumas. In some cases the evidence or concerns have been taken seriously by the authorities. The actual coining of the word "phantom panthers" occurred in the works of cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, during his 1970's investigations and writings on reports of large black mystery felids and massive maned cats in North America.
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UK
Since the 1960s there have been many sightings of big cats across Great Britain. An unusual concentration of sightings are in the southwestern region of England.
See British Big Cats
Australia
Sightings of exotic big cats in Australia started more than 100 years ago.
In the Gippsland region of south-eastern Victoria, the culprit is claimed to be American World War II airmen who brought pumas with them as mascots and reputedly released them in the Australian Bush. No conclusion has been found. The only evidence is shady sightings and dead livestock. The mass murders of herds of sheep is evidence to support the big cat theory. They are often killed by a clean puncture or slit in the throat. The animals' insides are then eaten precisely and with no mess, exactly like a big cat kills and eats its prey. Several sets of video footage, claiming to show black panthers in the Australian Bush, are often disproved to be large feral cats.
Claimed sightings of big cats and their effects have instigated government studies of the Grampian Mountains Pumas in Victoria, and the Blue Mountains panther and Lithgow Panther in New South Wales.
The Netherlands
In 2005 a black puma was allegedly spotted on several occasions in a wildlife preserve, but the animal, nicknamed Winnie, was later identified as an unusually large crossbreed between a domestic and a wild cat.
New Zealand
Since the late 1990s, big cat sightings have been reported in widely separated parts of New Zealand, in both the North and South Islands. There have been several panther sightings in Mid-Canterbury near Ashburton and in the nearby foothills of the Southern Alps, but searches conducted there in 2003 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry found no corroborating physical evidence.
Hawaii
Legendary stories of "mystery big cats" on the island of Maui have been circulating since the late 1980s. In December 2002, sightings of a big cat increased in number in the Kula (upcountry) area, and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife requested the help of big cat wildlife biologists William Van Pelt and Stan Cunningham of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. It is theorized that a large feline cat was brought illegally into Hawaii as a pet and released (or more likely, allowed to wander) in the wild. The big cat managed to elude traps, infrared cameras, and professional trackers. A fur sample was obtained in 2003 but DNA analysis was inconclusive. Experts speculate that the big cat may be either a Jaguar, Leopard or Mountain Lion.
See also
- British Big Cats
- Cryptozoology
- Loren Coleman
- Blue Mountains panther
- Gippsland phantom cat
External links
Australia
- Australian article from The Sunday Herald Sun
- Australian article from The Bulletin
- Australian article from the Sydney Morning Herald
Denmark
New Zealand
- List of sightings in New Zealand
- NZ Herald: MAF staff, wildlife experts hunt big black cat in vain
- Ashburton Guardian: An unsolved mystery
U. K.
- Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976
- September 2004 - Family Claims "Big Cat" Caught on Film
- January 2003 attack
- BBC report
- British Big Cats Society
- DMOZ
United States
Categories: Cryptids | Felines
