Big Cats, myth or real ?

I thought this this was a reasonable assessment of the status:

Assessment of Evidence of 'Big Cats' - Department of Primary Industries

Hawksbury City Council have been trying to get the NSW state government to look into reported sightings to determine one way or the other if they exist. There is a group operating in that area that have been monitoring and documenting sightings. A vet has also been involved and supports the theory that they do exist.

The group have sent samples of scats found in the bush to be analysed by the recommended government laboratory - they reported the scats were from a canine and the fur in the scat determined to be cat fur from cats eaten as prey. A control sample from a leopard in a private zoo that included fur from self grooming was also sent - the resulting analysis was the same. Perhaps their tests were not geared up to determine the difference between canine and and feline scats let alone the difference between domestic cat and exotic cat?? Or... maybe there is a cover up?

There's lots of info out there.

Who knows either way? Can't say they do, can't say they don't.

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Originally Posted by benji

I havn't had time to read all this thread; however there's a big cat North of Licola also.

I took a group of year 10 students through Tarli Karng a few years ago. We spent a very nervous night after seeing rear paw prints in the dust, and front claw marks in the tree at my armpit height. One student said it couldn have been a dog, but I didn't think dogs could extend and retract their claws.

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Sure it wasn't Hugh Jackman out for a walk one afternoon, still thinking he was Wolverine? :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by benji

I havn't had time to read all this thread; however there's a big cat North of Licola also.

I took a group of year 10 students through Tarli Karng a few years ago. We spent a very nervous night after seeing rear paw prints in the dust, and front claw marks in the tree at my armpit height. One student said it couldn have been a dog, but I didn't think dogs could extend and retract their claws.

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Yep, heard of that one. I lived at Licola for several years and about once a year someone would come into the camp and ask questions about the big cat sightings. A few had copies of photos of something taken on the ridge top above the camp, but it was a blur with the light behind it so everything on the ridge line was in shadow - it could have been sheep as far as I could tell, again, like all photos of these things it was blurred and had no reference in it for size.

I have spend a lot of time camping up there, and at Tali Karng, and have never been nervous about sleeping out. Thousands of people a year camp up there an no one has been eaten yet... As mentioned in earlier posts by me, I am happy to be proven wrong, but there just isn't any evidence of them.

Hopefully sometime soon, someone will get a good photo of one near something that gives referance to its size. With all the mobile tech we have now, surely someone can get a decent pic of something.

Perhaps the reason no-one has been able to prove it is because they're clever enough to adapt to their environment and avoid us :D
Kind of reminds me of this...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...013/04/139.jpg

:lol2:
Cheers
Muppet

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Disco Muppet

Perhaps the reason no-one has been able to prove it is because they're clever enough to adapt to their environment and avoid us :D
Kind of reminds me of this...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...013/04/139.jpg

:lol2:
Cheers
Muppet

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Same argument is used for ETs, they are too clever to be caught other than by Government scientists working in Arae 51 and the Roswell area.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PhilipA

I spoke to the vet who was sent to Lithgow by the then Dept Agriculture to investigate the big cat sightings there about 10 years ago.

He said he had no doubt there was a Puma there as he had found scats that were much bigger than any cat scat he had seen before, but he never got to see one even staking out the area for some time and the use of cameras.
Regards Philip A

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A mate of mine does the run from bathurst to blaxland regularly after midnight on several weekends a month ( muso playing at a bathurst pub), he's a bit of a skeptic with these things, but he reckons he saw it crossing the great western between bathurst and lithgow one night. Its shape and gait were distinctive and it definitely was not a dog, possum, cat or sheep he saw.

Lithgow huh.
Whats say we organise an AULRO ALARMING ANIMAL ASSESSMENT trip into Lithgow :D
Purely for the sake of scientific research of course...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by barney

........ it definitely was not a dog, possum, cat or sheep he saw.

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To be fair, if you struggle to tell those animals apart, then you really should spend a lot less time and money at the bottle shop. :angel:

I will be spending a couple of nights this week at the Crossing Inn in Fitzroy Crossing WA where I've been warned that there is couple of Big Cats there that don't mind a bit of white fella from time to time. I'll keep my guard up like the last time.

Cheers
Rob

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Boxhead63

I will be spending a couple of nights this week at the Crossing Inn in Fitzroy Crossing WA where I've been warned that there is couple of Big Cats there that don't mind a bit of white fella from time to time. I'll keep my guard up like the last time.

Cheers
Rob

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Things around Fitzroy Crossing I recall did not fit the big cat description. The "that don't mind a bit of white fella from time to time" is a different issue, good luck if that is your thing.