niggles Posted August 22, 2012 This big cat was photographed near Lara, 15km northeast of Geelong in Victoria. Source: Supplied THE search for Victoria's elusive big cats is back on. Just weeks after it shelved plans to solve the decades-long mystery, the Victorian Government now wants to put the matter to rest once and for all. Witness sightings have been recorded, over at least 60 years, of cougars, panthers or pumas in a wide stretch of Victoria from Gippsland to the Otways, the Grampians, central Victoria and at Beechworth in the northeast. Have you got photos or video? MMS to 0404 333 444, email [email protected] or tell us your story below The reports include livestock maulings and unexplained paw prints. As reported in The Weekly Times, an official investigation has been launched in line with a 2010 pre-election pledge from Nationals leader Peter Ryan, who said "there were enough credible observations" to warrant the effort. Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh said work on the big cat study had already started. Mr Walsh said wild-dog control remained the Government's priority but there were now "sufficient departmental resources available". "The study will review existing literature, reports, correspondence and other evidence for the presence of big cats in Victoria, and it includes liaison with relevant community groups and individuals who have reports or records of possible sightings," Mr Walsh said. "The study is expected to take several months to complete." The investigation is known to include staff from the Department of Primary Industries and the Department of Sustainability and Environment. Opposition agriculture spokesman John Lenders yesterday said the Government's priorities to rural and regional Victorians were more important "than solving Deputy Premier Peter Ryan's obsession with finding his big cat". "In an ideal world when the Government has not cut jobs to DPI offices across the state, underfunded fruitfly road blocks and the baiting of wild dogs, maybe funding for a 'study' into big cats would be welcomed," Mr Lenders said. "How can there be 'sufficient' departmental resources available to conduct a big-cat study when there have been significant jobs losses in both DPI and DSE as part of the Government's move to sack 4200 public servants across the state. "With cuts to TAFE programs, the scrapping of the Rural and Regional First Homeowners bonus this shows that the Baillieu Government is not taking rural and regional Victorians seriously." Melbourne-based big cats researcher Michael Moss said he had been telephoned by a DSE scientist wanting copies of his research and who asked him to keep the contact secret. "There is no doubt they (big cats) are out there," Mr Moss said, adding that the recent rediscovery of the Tiger Quoll in the Otways again proved how easy it was for animals to remain undetected in wilderness area for long periods of time. Read more at The Weekly Times 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
myco Posted August 22, 2012 (edited) hhmmm interesting they're definately out there i saw one before over here in W.A. no joke and no of a couple of other people who have seen them who i know personally wouldnt lie about Edited August 22, 2012 by myco 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bush Turkey Posted August 22, 2012 yeah ive heard heaps of storys of big cats around Nannup-Pemberton. Apparently they are not black over here? Just big housecats??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
myco Posted August 22, 2012 the thing i saw was definately black and i think i can safely say it was no housecat haha and scarily was in the middle of our little town my grandparents and one of thier old friends described the exact same thing walking across the road infront of them on thier way down south it was only about 50 k or so out of town i know they wouldnt lie about it they were all pretty shocked and couldnt wait to tell us all about wat they'd seen 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bush Turkey Posted August 22, 2012 just been doing a bit of research and apparently there is the "Nannup tiger" the "Pemberton panther" and Big black cat sightings in Jarrahdale. i have heard some weird stuff while camping. When urinating of a little cliff, something moved down below, did a little hisss growl thingy and fled. I just thought it was a pig or a house cat,,, but ya never know haha Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
niggles Posted August 22, 2012 Ive heard several tales of big cats around beechworth Vic, one of someone being attacked by one. He claimed to have shredded clothing and scars from the incident but I never saw them. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halcyon Daze Posted August 22, 2012 The pic just looks like a typical cat to me. A fairly large healthy one, but cats can get pretty big, especially when scavenging on roadkill and unattended toddlers. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
myco Posted August 22, 2012 yeh aparantly theres a guy i think hes around nannup, pemberton area he's written a book or 2 on thylacines he recons theyre around here to and he also talks about big black cats and a few things similar things in his book ive never seen or read this book my mate was telling me about it not to long ago Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lorax Posted August 22, 2012 Interesting, spoke to a lot of people around halls gap while I was living there that had absolutely no doubt very very large black cats were stealing lambs and other various misdeads but nothing that made me order a set of night vision gogles to stake out some bait. Also I've personally seen angry huge australianized feral's, one atleast that would of almost reached my knees, me being roughly 6ft, scary shit Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dionysus Posted August 22, 2012 pumas / mountain lions / cougars whatever can be black or tan, ive heard stories of both. i think to have sighted a black variety, near the brisbane ranges in vic. my uncle is currently on one of those gray nomad road trips around oz, last qeek claimed rto have spotted a tan variety and got some footage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naja naja Posted August 23, 2012 I have shot tabby coloured feral cats that weighed 12.5kg. I have seen a huge black one when younger, but am convincedthere just 20th generation feral catsthat have adapted and grown very large. These things are friggin scary and bigger than any fox I have ever shot, but there still just house cats. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of introduced genetics though, possibly from a large cat species that was interbred and then released. But to my knowledge, this kind of interbreeding is recent and wouldn't account for old reports. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qualia Posted August 23, 2012 good to see the victorian government has it's priorities right. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dundee Posted August 23, 2012 good to see the victorian government has it's priorities right. indeed, carbon tax dollars well spent Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qualia Posted August 23, 2012 indeed, carbon tax dollars well spent this statement suggests you have a profound misunderstanding of the carbon tax, and more generally of the broader tax bases of the federal and state governments. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sallubrious Posted August 23, 2012 I'd never heard about the WA sightings before, but there's been many sightings of large cats in NSW and Victoria. I read somewhere a train carrying circus animals lost its cargo near the border and they never accounted for at least one big cat. I suppose they'd be like foxes in some respects, they say you only ever see/shoot the dumb ones. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
poisonshroom Posted August 23, 2012 Apparently there are big black cat (of some kind) sightings on Magnetic Island in Townsville, and my sister saw a huge cat jump out of long grass (4-5ft) behind our house to catch a bird when we were kids. I think she said it was black and would have been nearly as tall as her (we were kids - probs about 7-10) and it was out near the dam in Townsville. I wouldnt doubt the theory that they are just really big ferals, but you never know. I find it odd though that all these almost legendary creatures (big cats, hairy man, manbearpig etc) have been reported for so long but no bones or any other evidence for there existence has been found. Surely over the last 50-60 years one would have been hit by a car or something Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
