Big Cats Living As Wild In The Uk

[wizzard]

Originally Posted by highlander2004

It is a known fact that many large "pet" large cats were released into the wild after leglislation was brought in to control them. I have met a number of people who claim to have seen them and I have no doubt that they saw a large non native cat purely beacuase they were seasoned animal watchers and would know a large cat when they saw one. However this occured many years ago and unless the cats were able to breed successfully i.e find a mate of their own kind they would eventually die out. That is not to say that some are not still around and just because they are not seen very often is no reason to doubt their existence. I have met country folk within walking distance of Badger setts and have never seen one in their whole life and many locals where I live in Scotland have never seen an eagle or Otter, but they exist!
Regards,
Nick

The difference being that there is photographic evidence proving the existence of Otter's, Badgers and eagles. No convincing photo's of abc's, despite there being people looking for them. Have you seen some of the terrible photo's out there? dogs, domestic cats, and some plain forgery's.

Sure there's loads of convincing stories about them, but they are like the ufo's of the animal world, in many cases you cannot be sure of what you see with your own eyes, let alone other peoples. Many things could appear to be a cat in low light conditions, and isn't it funny how it's always the legendry black panther they see? I guess it's one of those topics that you either believe or not, regardless of proof. I really do wish they were there though and would absolutely love to a) actually see one, and b) be proven wrong. How cool would it be if there was a breeding population somewhere in britain, hiding away from us, it would put some of the much needed wild back into the uk. Anyways, i'll stop detracting now and good luck to all the abc hunters out there, here's hoping they get that photograph soon!

[deer boy]

I would love to believe that big cats are living wild in Britain but the lack of evidence says they aren't.

Check this out
YouTube - MonsterQuest | Black Beast of Exmoor [PART 1 OF 5]

This is part 1 of 5 scroll down the right for the other parts

[naturegirl]

As I have said on another thread......

I have twice seen a Puma in the local forest to where I live.!

They do exist here and I'm sure, elsewhere in mainland UK.

The number of dogs that go missing in our local forest will indicate that they meet an untimely finish in life I belive!

Naturegirl

[mh68]

Originally Posted by wizzard

The difference being that there is photographic evidence proving the existence of Otter's, Badgers and eagles. No convincing photo's of abc's, despite there being people looking for them. Have you seen some of the terrible photo's out there? dogs, domestic cats, and some plain forgery's.

Sure there's loads of convincing stories about them, but they are like the ufo's of the animal world, in many cases you cannot be sure of what you see with your own eyes, let alone other peoples. Many things could appear to be a cat in low light conditions, and isn't it funny how it's always the legendry black panther they see? I guess it's one of those topics that you either believe or not, regardless of proof. I really do wish they were there though and would absolutely love to a) actually see one, and b) be proven wrong. How cool would it be if there was a breeding population somewhere in britain, hiding away from us, it would put some of the much needed wild back into the uk. Anyways, i'll stop detracting now and good luck to all the abc hunters out there, here's hoping they get that photograph soon!

If you watch this video (its almost an hour long mind you), this fella ( the same person who submitted fur and faecal samples for dna testing in Deer Boys video link) seems to have convinced himself theres thousands out there.Reckons too that he finds so many big cat scats that he doesnt photograph them all,hes also seen numbers of Cats but has never managed a photo
Sadly I think people are using the "uk big cat phenomenon" to try and make a name for themselves....I`m open minded as to whether theyre actually out there, but if you believed some people theyre more common than Foxes!!

YouTube - Big Cats in Britain Conference 2008: Sat. Jonathan McGowan

Mark H

[deer boy]

Originally Posted by mh68

Sadly I think people are using the "uk big cat phenomenon" to try and make a name for themselves....

I know look at the kid who said he got scratched by one & all he had was a pussy cat scratch.
If it was a big cat half his face would have been hanging off

[mh68]

Originally Posted by deer boy

I know look at the kid who said he got scratched by one & all he had was a pussy cat scratch.
If it was a big cat half his face would have been hanging off

If you get the time watch that link I posted mate, i`m sure it`ll have you shaking your head as it did with me

Mark H

[deer boy]

Originally Posted by mh68

If you get the time watch that link I posted mate, i`m sure it`ll have you shaking your head as it did with me
Mark H

I'll have a look laters mate

[nightshade]

I would like to think that there are big cats out there that somehow have avoided man.I do see a lot by not looking for an animal but just for highlights and movement and the only sizeable black animals I have seen are sheep.
In this day and age I am very suprised that a large cat has many options regarding areas of concealment but hey people are very noisy and smelly
These Cats must be nocturnal or crepuscular at least and there are few people that keep the same hours in the wild areas where the alleged sightings have taken place,primal fears still inhibit us.

[mh68]

Originally Posted by nightshade

I would like to think that there are big cats out there that somehow have avoided man.I do see a lot by not looking for an animal but just for highlights and movement and the only sizeable black animals I have seen are sheep.
In this day and age I am very suprised that a large cat has many options regarding areas of concealment but hey people are very noisy and smelly
These Cats must be nocturnal or crepuscular at least and there are few people that keep the same hours in the wild areas where the alleged sightings have taken place,primal fears still inhibit us.

Likewise,I`d like to think so too, but the evidence that is put forward is usually flawed in some way,so I keep an open mind on the whole thing.I`d love to see the myth put to rest either way once and for all though

Mark H

[Tracey.A]

Hi Leapoord Shaz,

any chance of you posting some photos of the Scottish wild cat droppings and paw prints?

Thanks

Tracey

[moz]

We have had lots of reported sightings of black cats near Inkberrow not far from where i live even down to a child apparently being attacked and left with claw marks across his chest but as yet no conclusive proof.The nearest thing i have seen was a picture taken of a Fox on a hill with the sunset behind it and the resemblence was amazing and made the animal look twice as big as it was and very feline looking easily confused.

[fairytaleponies]

Hi
I saw what I took to be a big cat on a country road near my home. It jumped out from the side of the road and shot up a railway embankment. The gracefull and fast way it moved along with its long tail convinced me that it was not a dog. It was black, very sleekand looked to be about 4 feet long. I saw it a day or two later at my stable yard. It shot through my cats cat flap.. and was indeed the largest persian cat I ever saw in my life!! Oh well at least it didn't eat my horse's.

[deer boy]

Originally Posted by mh68

If you get the time watch that link I posted mate, i`m sure it`ll have you shaking your head as it did with me
Mark H

Brilliant

I think his got confused with pussy cats & big cats he sees them all the time

It's people like him that make u think they don't exist

[mh68]

Originally Posted by deer boy

Brilliant

I think his got confused with pussy cats & big cats he sees them all the time

It's people like him that make u think they don't exist

Makes you wonder doesnt it?

How can you take someone seriously when they reckon they find so many Big Cat scats that they only photograph the "interesting ones" !!!...priceless!!

Mark H

[deer boy]

The way he talks about them he knows where they live how long they've lived there ect & yet he has no video/photo evidence.
As for the scats he said he didn't know anyone who could test them yet he had a friend who tested the hairs he found

[mh68]

Well his "big cat" hair samples on that vid you posted were reliable werent they?...Sika Deer, Red Deer , Dog and Pig (!!)...
Dont get me wrong, I dont doubt a lot of sightings that people report, its these so called "UK big cat experts" I find ridiculous.Most of them have never seen a big cat, so how can they be classed as an expert in any sense of the word????expert on sighting reports maybe, but not the animals themselves...

Mark H

[Tracey.A]

............so, is there any chance of some photos of Scottish Wildcat tracks and scat? They would make a fantastic addition to the A - Z mammal identification signs!

Tracey

[mh68]

The thread was started in 2006 Tracey, so the original poster may or may not be still on the site. No harm in trying the email address though on post #5 if you want to contact her...

Mark H

[Tracey.A]

Well, I've just had a look at the link that was posted and have now gone from being open minded to being more than a little sceptical! I'm not saying they don't exist, because I have no way of knowing that, but considering the amount of field signs that were apparently found I don't understand why these have not been identified. In the wild, we look for signs of a mammal by looking for its tracks and signs: scats, fur, etc., which can then be sent away for annalysis to confirm one way or another if it is indeed the mammal we think it is. We have cats in zoos that they could be compared to regarding scats or fur.

I have to own up to the fact that I didn't watch much of the video, I tried, but honestly.......!! Another thing, why on earth would you use a classroom full of windows that you can't cover to view a slide show of so called evidence that you then can't see? I just found it all a bit............. and had to keep reminding myself that no it wasn't April the 1st.

[Tracey.A]

Originally Posted by mh68

The thread was started in 2006 Tracey, so the original poster may or may not be still on the site. No harm in trying the email address though on post #5 if you want to contact her...

Mark H

Thanks Mark, but I think I'll try my luck with one of the wildlife parks and see if they will let me get a photo of some tracks and signs of a Wildcat.

Tracey

[mh68]

Originally Posted by Tracey.A

Well, I've just had a look at the link that was posted and have now gone from being open minded to being more than a little sceptical! I'm not saying they don't exist, because I have no way of knowing that, but considering the amount of field signs that were apparently found I don't understand why these have not been identified. In the wild, we look for signs of a mammal by looking for its tracks and signs: scats, fur, etc., which can then be sent away for annalysis to confirm one way or another if it is indeed the mammal we think it is. We have cats in zoos that they could be compared to regarding scats or fur.

I have to own up to the fact that I didn't watch much of the video, I tried, but honestly.......!! Another thing, why on earth would you use a classroom full of windows that you can't cover to view a slide show of so called evidence that you then can't see? I just found it all a bit............. and had to keep reminding myself that no it wasn't April the 1st.

See my above posts Tracey

If the fella was finding as many field signs as he reckoned, then other people would be finding them too...he may have found a few (the ones he showed in his slideshow) but i think he was "giving it the biggun" and exagerrating somewhat.Why only keep 20 scat samples when he`s apparently finding so many he doesnt even bother photographing them??? It doesnt add up does it?

Mark H

[Tracey.A]

Originally Posted by mh68

See my above posts Tracey

If the fella was finding as many field signs as he reckoned, then other people would be finding them too...he may have found a few (the ones he showed in his slideshow) but i think he was "giving it the biggun" and exagerrating somewhat.Why only keep 20 scat samples when he`s apparently finding so many he doesnt even bother photographing them??? It doesnt add up does it?

Mark H

No, it doesn't add up! I might be wrong and if I am I'll apolgise up front if I upset anyone, but what a lot of nonsense! I honestly felt that this video was some sort of practical joke, I just couldn't take it seriously! Instead of convincing me of the existence of big cats, I feel it has just left me scratching my head, thinking oooookkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy??!!? It was quite funny though, but I don't think this was the intention of the speaker

Tracey

[mh68]

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