BIG CAT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Whilst the focus of the CFZ Mystery Cat study group is predominantly the search for proof of the British big cats, it would be unrealistic to forget that this is only part of a global mystery-cat phenomenon.

Here are a selection of mystery cat related stories from around the world.

I will be the first to admit that I have been neglecting the big cat news round ups over recent weeks. The Weird Weekend tends to take everything over.

Our first tranche of news is from Canton, Ohio, where a Savannah cat was recently found dead..

Act of compassion
Canton Repository
I want to thank the caring person who took it upon himself or herself to bury the beautiful Savannah cat (“No solution to dead cat mystery,” July 26). He didn't deserve to be thrown in the trash. It was a shame that the person who should have taken him ...

More big-cat reports in area - Canton, OH - CantonRep.com
Since Saturday, police have received more reports of a possible large cat in or near the city.

Paranormal: Big cat sighting opinion.
Canton Repository (blog)
Paranormal Journeys · TV and Hollywood have spawned an interest in ghosts, vampires and zombies. Horror is in. Take the journey. Posted 10 hour(s) ago. Paranormal: Big cat sighting opinion. Print Comment. By Ken Roberts. Daily Blog. See you tomorrow ...

Large Cat-Like Animal Sighted, Interim Law Director Hired & More: Week in ...
Patch.com
Large cat-like animal spotted: Three different city residents called North Canton Police after seeing what looked like a cougar or mountain lion at or near their homes, prompting Chief Stephan Wilder to issue a public safety alert. Check out the photos of a big ...

More large cat sightings in North Canton, Plain
Canton Repository
Police responded Thursday morning to another unconfirmed sighting of a large cat, a dispatch log said, the latest of at least five reports of a big cat-like animal wandering through the city. A woman called police at 10:57 a.m. and told a dispatcher she had just ...

Paranormal: new photo “Big Cat “sighting
Canton Repository (blog)
Their claim is that this big hairy guy came up to them looking for some spare change to buy an ice-cream cone since it was a hot night. They chatted for a little bit and said his name was the, “Big Cat”. They gave him some change for the ice-cream and ...

Paranormal: Local big cat sighting
Canton Repository (blog)
Thinking also about this big cat sighting began to really get our adrenaline going when all of a sudden we heard a loud noise outside. All of us went outside to check it out and we saw something moving along the edges of the yard. We initially determined that ...

More big-cat reports in area
Canton Repository
Since Saturday, police have received more reports of a possible large cat in or near the city. At 11:22 a.m. Monday, a woman who lives in the 600 block of Fairview Street SE said she had been walking on the Hoover Nature Trail around 9:55 a.m. near 1325 ...

Here is a selection of other North American big cat news. Some of them are of bona fide mystery cats such as black 'panthers', others of encounters with North America's one large felid; the puma. However the puma seems to be rapidly recolonising areas where it has not lived for many decades, and the reaction of the humans who live there is as interesting as the expansion of the cat population...

Aggressive Mountain Lion is Killed
By Steve Fullerton
When you encounter a big cat, pick up any small children and remain standing. Do not run from nor approach the lion. Talk in a calm voice, and if the lion attacks, fight back. Filed Under: KLYQAM, Montana, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, ...

Big cat reports cause for concerns at college campus
SW Iowa News
Whether the big cat people are reporting is a mountain lion is yet to be determined, but no one is taking the alleged sightings casually. A couple of weeks ago, the first reports of people seeing a mountain lion started to trickle in at the college, said Don Kohler, ...

Reports of panther in Portage keep sheriff busy
Ravenna Record Courier
A Mantua resident reported seeing a large black cat in his driveway in early June, and at least two eyewitnesses placed the predator in that area at the same time. Witnesses said a big cat attacked a mule in the 3200 block of Frost Road in Shalersville around ...

Mountain lion crashes through Baker home's glass door, is killed
Billings Gazette
The mountain lion was crouched. Jacobsen's dog, a handbag-sized bichon frise named Queen, was in full bark just two feet from the big cat. Jacobsen, whose bare feet were bleeding from the broken glass, looked over the mountain lion and concluded that it ...

Stamford Man Discouraged From Bribing Bobcat to Porch with Steak
Patch.com
A bobcat is spotted on Dagmar Rd., an Alaskan Malamute plays the role of big bag wolf and a perfectly wonderful Princess needs a home, even if it's temporary. Tweet. Email ... We discouraged that particular activity and suggested he leave the cat alone." ...

Pet owners on alert after mountain lion spotted eating cat in Davenport
San Jose Mercury News
Bock said she is not afraid of mountain lions, she just wanted her neighbors to know that the big cats were active. "I think we all feel that they have a right to be there. It is their territory," she said. The big cat did not appear to be tagged for ...

Large, wild cat attacks horse in Aitkin County
Brainerd Daily Dispatch
Steve Kohls/Brainerd Dispatch Aitkin County resident Lori Hart washes a laceration on her horse Molly's leg Monday at her home near the junction of 210 and Highways 169 north of Aitkin. Her horse was attacked Friday night in a pasture near their home ...

Patch Reader Tells About Her Ironic Sighting of 'The Big Cat'
Patch.com
As Steve (my husband), Michele (my daughter) and I had just finished dinner, I was reading them the article in the paper about the robbery at the Huntington Bank (we were there when police, FBI, etc. were there) and then I read the article on the big cat ...

Cougar trapped and killed
Bend Bulletin
One domestic sheep was killed Wednesday, prompting involvement by the federal Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services. The big cat was trapped overnight Thursday. George says it's believed to have killed a second sheep before entering the trap.

Mountain lion spotted in San Mateo Highlands
KGO-TV
SAN MATEO, Calif. -- A mountain lion was spotted Friday morning in the San Mateo Highlands, San Mateo County emergency officials said. The big cat was seen near the 1700 block of Lexington Avenue in unincorporated San Mateo. The animal was walking ...

More cougar sightings reported
The Chronicle Journal
Thunder Bay police and Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officers were searching the bush near Pioneer Ridge nursing home on Monday after an injured black bear and a large cat, possibly a cougar, were sighted in the area. City police were ...

Search for big cat, bear continues The Chronicle Journal The search continues for an elusive big cat and injured black bear spotted over the past three days in Thunder Bay. City police said that officers were called to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre early Tuesday to investigate a possible ... Police union questions wildlife role CBC.ca Nevertheless, in the interest of public safety, Thunder Bay officers continue to track the recent wildlife sightings in the city, including a big cat and an injured bear. Greg Stephenson said recent cuts to the Ministry of Natural Resources mean police ... Mountain lion spotted on Early Round Dr. The Friday Flyer Canyon Lake resident Kevin Siepker went out on his driveway Monday evening and was surprised to see a large cat walk across the corner lot on Early Round and Champion. "I first thought, dang, that is a huge cat," says Kevin. "But then, as I stared a ...

Mountain lion sighting reported in Mountain House
Tracy Press
A suspected mountain lion spotted on a roof in Mountain House kept residents indoors as San Joaquin County Sheriff deputies searched for the cat on Monday August 13. Two residents on ... “We think it's a very, very large feral cat,” George said ...

Puma at home in LA's Griffith Park
UPI.com
After a remote-controlled camera in the 4300-acre park photographed a big cat in February, Sikich and his crew captured the mountain lion they call "P-22", the "P" meaning "puma," in a humane trap. After installing radio signal technology and a GPS ...

Time to stop 'denying' cougars exist, researcher says
CBC.ca
A Lakehead University professor is sending a message to the province about cougars after the recent sightings of a big cat in Thunder Bay. Harvey Lemelin, the research chair in parks and protected areas, said there are stories of cougar sightings in ...

In 2013, big cats will be prowlin'
Bennington Banner
Bennington Select Board Vice Chairwoman Sharyn Brush, speaking Thursday on behalf of the town, welcomed the large cats. "It seems that after talking with the moose and after learning what a wonderful place Bennington is, he (the cat) has decided to ...

Cougar shot after boy hurt
The Province
Officials say the big cat was found not far from the site of the incident, and was destroyed. There's no indication, yet, why it might have attacked the young-ster. The boy and his father were walking along a riverbank just before 8: 30 Wednesday ...

Mountain Lion Spotted in Portola Valley
Patch.com
The big cat was seen near Bear Gulch and Oak Creek roads at about 11:20 a.m., county emergency officials said. Officials warn residents who may see a mountain lion to not approach it and avoid confrontation. To learn more about mountain lions and how ...

I saw a mountain lion, central Newfoundland man claims CBC.ca "I looked ahead and a pretty big cat walks from the left to the right. I knew it was a cat as soon as I saw it, I just didn't recognize the colour. It was a real light tan brown," recalled Rose. He estimated the animal was about six feet long from its ... Possible Mountain Lion In Eureka Area KELOLAND TV Multiple reports have come in about a big cat near Eureka. Bonnie Serr was not expecting to see what she did. "Right away I even thought to myself, 'Am I going to tell anybody because they're going to think I'm crazy,'" Serr said. Serr was driving down ... Mountain lion startles Kimball residents York News-Times "(Mountain lions) are big cats and are unpredictable," Simpson said, saying that the public was in danger because of the cat's location within the city limits and its proximity to the public. "We are blessed not to have had anybody hurt." Sam Wilson ... Big cat caught on camera near Payson : News : ConnectTriStates.com Big cat sightings are not new to the Tri-States. In fact, every few months we get wind of a new photo or two surfacing from area landowners. KELOLAND

I have always been particularly interested in stories of U.S jaguars..

American Jaguars To Roam US Lands
Global Animal
The proposal comes after a long fight to protect the big cats, wildlife officials arguing that in order to save the endangered species, their habitat must be protected. Read on for more on this promising news. — Global Animal. Photo credit: Odm ...
See all stories on this topic »

This next story is particularly interesting. If it is a bona fide sighting, is it a Florida Panther increasing its range north, or a cat from the north increasing its range south? If the expansion of pumas across the United States continues at its present rate, will the Florida Panther be bred out of existence? And does this matter?

Big cat or tall tale? Fla. wants to know
The News-Press
Search in. News Archives. Local Deals Local Directory. ADVERTISEMENT. Big cat or tall tale? Fla. wants to know. Reports of female panthers and their babies in central, northern parts of state lead FWC to set up site to post footage of their presence there.

And, in other news from around the world (and yes, I know sand cats are not big cats):

Rare Snow Leopards: Big cats found in mountains of Afghanistan ...
By Nick Dutton
And for the first time ever, the big cats have been fitted with satellite collars.

Rare sand kittens, thought to be extinct in Israel, settle into new ...
Daily Mail
'Sand cat is an extinct species in Israel, although in the world it's not extinct, it's nearly threatened,' said Keren Or, Zoological Information Coordinator in Ramat Gan Safari Park. 'But here in Israel it has been extinct because it was pushed away ...

Hunt for big cats, including cougars, panthers or pumas, in Victoria begins ...
Herald Sun
"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 ...

Despite some of the nonsense claimed, it is highly unlikely that sabre toothed cats still roam North America. But they did once...

Prehistoric exhibit at county museum of history highlights early natural ...
Chesterton Tribune
There were other things around too that were a little more peculiar – a big cat with 12-inch long canines and a ground sloth the size of an elephant. In its newest featured exhibit, “Prehistoric Porter County”, the Porter County Museum of History in downtown ...