hutch Posted January 25, 2011 This just amazes me. I know we discover new species every day but not this bloody big....Maybe there are some big cats roaming the Australian wilderness as has been reported many times. What a beautiful animal.... http://www.dailytele...9-1225993806438 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PD. Posted January 25, 2011 There could be big cats in Aus? big feral cats, yes. Big puma type cats, no. I think this feral cat thing has been talked about here before. Cool lookin cat in the article ya linked tho. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rahli Posted January 25, 2011 Why not? The Wallice Line may be one thing to consider. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr b.caapi Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) Back in my high school days i had a mate whos uncle owned a large farm in south west W.A, he spotted numerous times over the years a large Panther type cat spooking his sheep, when we quizzed him on it possibly being a feral he said definately not, this was in the "Big cat" category. There has been stories like that from all around south west W.A, it has also been rumoured that U.S navy troops had them as mascots on ships refueling in Albany during the war, and that one or two may have escaped. Heres an article from the eastern states. Edited January 25, 2011 by mr b.caapi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
botanika Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) The problem with most reports is they focus on the 'it was definately a big cat' but never detailed descriptions of the head and face of the cat. Feral cats can grow BIG but a genuine mountain line or puma, for example, has very distinctive facial features in comparison to a feral cat. Its suprising there is not more accuracy in exactly what signified it as being a true big cat other than size. Cats are also territorial, if they are out there it wouldn't be that hard to track them down. In this day and age with digital camera's housed in every imaginable device it's kind of suprising no-one has any decent footage or that a farmer has not shot one to defend livestock. It's possible that some big cats were accidentally released (US navy officers, circus car crash escapes) but whether they actually survived and breed into sustained fit populations is another matter. There's a lot of food and not much natural predators though, if a pair could have bred, or enough were released I don't see any reason why the habitat would not be suitable. But then with a relative abundance of food and minimal other predators, and lets say playing devils advocate they were released in the 50's, you'd think their populations would have grown quite well (like feral cats) to the point they are far more common. I dunno, just speculation. I like reading about the Tassie Tiger though. There are some good accounts they may be still hanging on despite being classified functionally extinct. There's a youtube video from the 70's that looks legit - particularly the way it lopes along, different to a dog, its got that hind leg and tail structure like a kangaroo - and parks and wildlife officials have informally said they believe they exist - that they have highly credible eye-witnesses but they can't formally say without direct evidence (ie a live specimen). I'd love to glimpse a tasmanian tiger in the wild...not sure about a puma though, those things could rip your neck out! Edited January 25, 2011 by botanika 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C_T Posted January 25, 2011 when starving cats get fed well, they get huge... but they don't bet "big cat" size... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C_T Posted January 25, 2011 i'd love to own a cheetah! if/when i get a farm i'd love to buy a Siberian cheetah. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheather Posted January 25, 2011 A cheetah would be lovely, but my preference has to go to the jaguars and leopards. Going into a biology degree in the hopes that I can get in to an animal care system and be able to hopefully keep big cats and exotic animals. Shame I'd have to leave the country for a lot of them. P.S. One of the coolest animals ever has to be the pangolin. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
J Smith Posted January 25, 2011 Thanks for the link Hutch. The cat in that link looks awesome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blood Trance Fusion Posted January 25, 2011 I'm not too keen on felid but what's the go with the slow news day? Two populations were found 4 years ago and footage was released 1 year ago. I thought the photograph was of a model in a museum at first. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hutch Posted January 25, 2011 I'm not too keen on felid but what's the go with the slow news day? Two populations were found 4 years ago and footage was released 1 year ago. I thought the photograph was of a model in a museum at first. Sorry dude..it was news to me and I thought it interesting....notice a common theme in your posts ? Why do you seem keen on taking everything I say and pulling it to pieces...Read something else if I am bothering you.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PD. Posted January 25, 2011 Thanks botanika, i was up till all hours watchin youtube vids of tha thylacine Here is the one from 1974, looks to be the goods for sure!!! There seems to be alot of sightings around southern vic and southern WA also. Intermixed with these sightings is ppl sayin they saw the big cats. Some of the reported thylacine sightings reported say they are very dark coloured to black which imo could account for ppl saying they saw a panther or some such. From some of the theories as to why they would be in victoria id believe more that there is thylacines hunting around rather than pumas etc. One one video i watched a scientist from the Australian rare animals research centre was saying that there was thylacines captures in SA in the late 1800s, i think thats what he said anyways, cant recall fully but they def didnt die out on the mainland 4000 years ago as some estimate. One of the researchers believes they were introduced to wilson prom national park when they were releasing all sorts of rare/endangered animals there from 1910 to 1940 or there abouts. They arent on the records of release but he thinks that due to them being classed as sheep killing vermin during those times the farmers of the area would have shot them, there was also a bounty on their heads so they were omitted from the list. I dont see why there couldnt be remnant populations in Tassie, there are huge areas of forest there that is very sparsely populated and as one of the tassie locals mentioned, if there are thylacines down there and they are found/proved to exist the international cry to save them would interupt the massive logging industry which of course alot of ppl would not like! I had never thought of that angle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
13thdimensionconnection Posted January 25, 2011 Hutch, thanks for the link. It was news to me and now I am fascinated. As for the continued existence of thylacines, I'm not yet convinced. That said I would love to see them make a comeback in my lifetime. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blood Trance Fusion Posted January 26, 2011 Sorry dude..it was news to me and I thought it interesting....notice a common theme in your posts ? Why do you seem keen on taking everything I say and pulling it to pieces...Read something else if I am bothering you.... I'm not having a go at you, I meant a slow news day for the news source - not you for posting it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazonian Posted January 26, 2011 Yeah, great looking cat that Sunda Clouded leopard . It looks like its painted almost. As for the Thylacine, i know people who often hike at Wilson's Prom' who say that there are stories of the Tasmanian Tiger living there.Thylacines have intrigued me for years, and i hope, i really do hope that they are still around. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
botanika Posted January 26, 2011 PD I think that same program was saying thylacines had been brought over from Tasmania to wilsons promitry and western Australia as a way of re-populating the mainland along with other rare animals. The tigers were introduced. Even when hunted in tasmania, hunters said they were elusive. We only learn when it's too late. The spots on that leopard are amazing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
occidentalis Posted January 26, 2011 I recently read in the WA Dept of Environment and Conservation's 'Land for Wildlife' program newsletter a discussion about big cats in WA, it was mostly focused on 'scratching trees' where claw marks can be seen where very big cats (due to the height off the ground of the claw marks) have scratched. Interesting to see this in a Govt. publication. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
