BIG CAT NEWS: Another Gloucestershire cutting

This cutting, which deals with the Gloucester big cat suspected of having killed a deer recently, was sent in by CFZ author Paul Williams, author of The Mystery Animals of the British isles: Gloucester and Worcester, which was one of Loren Coleman's books of the year in 2011.

Thanks for that mate!

BIG CAT NEWS: Palace Puma spotted for first time this year

Palace Puma spotted for first time this year
7:30am Thursday 2nd February 2012

A mother believes her daughter has spotted the elusive Palace Puma.

Dawn Williams' daughter Georgia, 19, spotted the infamous beast at the end of Sylvan Road.

The 54-year-old said: "Georgia came in from work.

"She was literally shaking and was frightened and said she had just seen an animal down the road.
Read on...

SCOTTIE WESTFALL: Jaguarundis in Florida

I thought you might find this interesting:
http://t4studios.com/thefloridajaguarundi.html

Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Puma_yaguarondi.jpg/800px-Puma_yaguarondi.jpg

MIKE HALLOWELL: Happy New....

Mrs H. was in hospital the other week for spinal surgery; always a risky procedure. She’s out now and the surgeons have neatly stapled the wound. She asked me yesterday what the scar – which is quite lengthy – looked like. I stared at the vertical column of gleaming metal strips (they’re being removed tomorrow) and told her that she looked not un-akin to one of the Borg. She did not try to assimilate me (ooh-er, missus!) but I reckon it was a close thing.

But there I go digressing again in the first paragraph, as I always do, before apologising in the second. Anyway, during my amble around one hospital – a truly impressive architectural fusion of Victorian splendour and 21st century futurism – I occasioned upon a nurse from whom I solicited directions. “Ooh, I know you!” she said saucily. “You’re that bloke off the telly and the radio, arncha?”

I told her that indeedy-doody I was, unless she was referring to Jonathan Ross or Jeremy Paxman, in which case indeedy-doody I wasn’t.

“But you are that bloke who does ghosts, aren’t you?”

This was not an easy question to answer. Did she mean in the literal sense? Was she suggesting that I “did ghosts” in the sense that a lot of people want to “do” their favourite film star, or did she mean that I “did” them in the way that the Mafia did? Honestly I’ve never had physical congress with a ghost or, indeed, ever harmed one.

But she meant it metaphorically, of course. And so, being the kind-hearted chap I am, I told her that I did “do” ghosts. But in a nice way. One thing led to another, and she informed me that she had once seen a strange creature near the infirmary. For some reason, cryptids (or things that may be cryptids) turn up in the oddest places in Geordieland.

It had been a cat. Or at least, a cat of sorts. The main difference between this and a domestic moggie was the size. This cat was bigger, tan-coloured and possessed a longer, thicker tail. It looked, she said, “like one of those mountain lions you see on TV.”

And when, pray, had she seen this, I enquired? “A couple of months ago”, she guessed, which placed the sighting somewhere in mid-October.

Had anyone else seen it?

“No; it was very early in the morning.”

Had it looked at the nurse or displayed any awareness of her presence?

“No; it just walked right past me.”

How close?

“About eight yards or so.”

And you’re sure it wasn’t just a large domestic cat?

“Oh, no. It was too big.”

And why didn’t you report it?

“People would have laughed.”

Fair enough, I thought: we Geordies can be a cynical lot at times and I dare say some of her colleagues would probably have extracted the etcetera, etcetera from her if you get my drift.

And you know what I’m going to do now, don’t you?

Oh, yes.

Don’t run off.

I’ll only find you, so you may as well get it over with.

Okay, then. Here we go.

There was this unidentified wildcat seen near a hospital. It startled one of the nurses.

“What’s a wild cat like you doing here?” said the nurse to the wild cat.

“I’m here for a CAT scan,” it replied.

There; that wasn’t too bad now, was it?

All the best for 2012, pip-pip!

NEW HOPE THAT THE JAVA TIGER HAS SURVIVED EXTINCTION

Markus Hemmler sent this:

Droppings and paw prints to claw marks from a "big cat" collected from staff at Meru Betiri National Park giving hope (at least to them) that the Java-Tiger still exists. Therefore they plan to set up five camera traps this month. The whole story:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/nvironment/new-clues-suggest-javan-tiger-may-not-be-extinct-claim/486207
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8972829/Search-for-the-Javan-tiger.html
http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1794653

CARL MARSHALL: Big cat report (Cotswolds)

On March 2nd this year Richard Lamb, manager of Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm, was driving home alone from London. It was about 11:30pm as he travelled between Burford and Stow-on-the-Wold on the A424 when his eyes caught glimpse of a large, dark, feline shape standing still in front of a row of bushes that was parallel to the pathway on the left hand side of the road. The animal had adopted a low hunting posture or something had startled it such as the car. As soon as he drove past and realized what he had seen Richard slammed on his brakes, put the car into reverse and tried to get another look, but the mystery cat had disappeared into the darkness. If Richard had had a camera with him he would not have had the time to prepare for the shot.

Richard says that for the second or two he saw it he could make out the shape quite clearly and it was obviously a large cat, with its muscular body and stocky head, thick tail ending in a hook and small rounded ears. He eventually concluded that he had probably seen a medium-sized melanistic leopard. Note: Richard is very skilled at species identification, often spotting the most minute sub-specific differences between specimens of lepidoptera with relative ease, which is of course his speciality. But he is also extremely knowledgeable about the natural world in general and I personally trust his judgement. He also told me that he had taken other species into consideration as possible identities for the sighting, such as foxes, but finally decided to go back to his original suggestion as the animal he sighted moved and acted more like a felid than anything else.

What made him first look over was the green reflective eye shine as the panther stared into his headlights and paused for a second. Reflective eye shine in nocturnal animals is caused when light passes through rods in the inner eye structure. These act as light receptors as opposed to the cones that work as colour receptors; this means animals with more rods than cones to their eyes can see better in the dark, but a strong light source can distort their perception of colour. After light passes into the rods and travels through the retina it hits a layer of membranous tissue called the Tapetum Lucidum, which then bounces the light back through the retina; this is used to create more light for the photo-receptors enabling the animal to see more efficiently in low light conditions.

Richard believes that the cat he saw was probably black; however, it was 11:30pm and although he had the aid of his headlights there was little light so it may have just been very dark.
Richard also states that the leopard was smaller than the typical African leopard, which would be approximately twenty-five inches (63cm) at its shoulder. The male can be up to thirty percent larger than the female. Richard estimates the cat he saw was about eighteen inches (45cm) at the shoulder and probably just over a metre long including tail. He felt it was about the size of the Amur leopards he recently observed at the Cotswold Wildlife Park and theorises that the cat's diminutive size was either due to a poor diet or it was a sub-adult.

As a point of interest there is actually a Beast of Burford and the local animal park have indeed put out a reward for the animals capture. After phoning this animal park and speaking to a guy named Stuart, I was informed that the reward was put out about eight years ago and to date they have had no response to the reward, which is probably a good thing after all: as Neil Arnold advised me, if someone shoots at it and injures it, it could become dangerous, posing a threat towards man. Stuart did say there had been animal kills reported and also that he had personally observed a panther locally and that his observation could NOT be ignored or assumed to be a large black dog or domestic cat with no size perception against its surroundings. It has apparently also been spotted within the last three months on the Charlbury estate in Oxfordshire.

I suggest that the animal Richard saw was probably a juvenile leopard. The reason I am choosing this explanation over the poor health theory is because Richard claims he could see the muscular tones in the body structure of the animal and that it looked robust and healthy, with a stocky tail not looking emaciated at all.

One thing is for certain: if the reward was put out eight years ago and the leopard Richard saw was likely a juvenile then we must consider the fact that these big cats are probably breeding and producing viable offspring in the wilds of the UK.

I am now keeping an up-to-date record of sightings in the Cotswolds area.

CFZ "PEOPLE": 'Breeze' 2001-2011

Breeze, the Haunted Skies cat, has died aged 10. He now lies in the garden under his favourite chair, in his favorite blanket and toys. He idolised Dawn and they often slept on the chair together.

Rest in peace, little friend.

Strangely he died a year to the day after Biggles, and Jon's mother's old cat Tikki who after Jon's Mum's death in 2002, lived another eight years with Helen and the Taylor family....

NEIL ARNOLD: The bizarre big cat story of the month

http://kentbigcats.blogspot.com/2011/01/bizarre-big-cat-story-of-month.html

UNCONVENTION 2010: Rebecca Lang - Australian Big Cats

NEIL ARNOLD: Interviews Mike Williams & Rebecca Lang Regarding ‘Big Cats’ in Australia

Neil Arnold Interviews Mike Williams & Rebecca Lang Regarding ‘Big Cats’ in Australia:

1) Firstly, thanks for agreeing to the interview...the new book is fantastic and I must ask, in the book you put forward theories that the exotic cats in Australia may have been introduced by mascots or escaped from circuses, but one thing rarely mentioned in the book are exotic cats as pets. In the UK in the 1960s large cats were purchased in abundance, mainly as cubs. Was this situation not echoed in Australia or was the country not as swingin' in the '60s as it was here ?
No, chiefly due to our very restrictive quarantine laws. Although the country was "swinging" it was certainly not swinging with large exotic cats as pets. The over-riding fear has always been that anything exotic can escape and never be found in the bush here as the areas are just too dense and rough...and dangerous.

2) You have accumulated some startling evidence in the book; why do you think the authorities continue to ignore the evidence?
Just standard lethargic public servants. I am not sure what it’s like in the UK, but if you cannot make it in the private sector here, you gravitate to the public sector.Most of the authorities here are completely clueless about any form of evidence; they change jobs all the time, go to a lot of meetings, send memos and basically cover their own arses.We have had staff from the NSW Department of Primary Industries asking us about DNA testing labs. We have sent the depts emails asking specific questions.

Around one year later on average we will get an email that doesn’t answer the questions and segues into idiocy and false statements. We will correct all the points and return the email. Around 6 months later we will receive another email from someone else telling us that since our first email was answered the case is closed. One govt department's investigations into data manipulation involved them contacting the actual guy in the department whom we had complained about. They asked him if his department had done anything "dodgy" and he said no. End of the "investigation". After three emails you become a "vexatious complainant" and then your emails just go into some in box in Alaska.

3) If a child is attacked, and possibly killed by a large cat in Australia, what do you think will come of such an incident?

At this stage of the "game", they would require a video of the attack or else they would pin the blame on dogs. Sarcasm aside, they don’t accept either secondary evidence, or primary evidence. They never investigated the lioness shot dead in the bush in western NSW in 1985 – the elusive and much sought after ‘body on the table’, so to speak.

4) You mentioned Golden Cats in the book, although these were rarely kept as pets, or in circuses, and yet there are hardly any mentions of lynx or bobcat in the book. Have there not been any reports of such animals?
We were interested in the golden cat because of the crazy idea that some of these animals might have come across with early Indonesian traders who have been visiting the northern tips of Australia for possibly thousands of years. We were speculating that these animals could have crossed with early Felis catus lines – escapees from Dutch shipwrecks.The only ‘minor’ problem with those theories was the lack of evidence! We also speculated about hybrid vigour/adaption etc, which might have lead to larger animals and could explain the colour variations seen here. We have had reports of bobcat-type animals but they appear to be describing a short-tailed and muscular Felis catus.

5) Do you believe witnesses are definitely seeing jet-black cats, or simply not taking note of the rosette pattern which a melanistic leopard produces in its pelage ?
Jet black for sure, but the lack of rosette reports has always been troubling.

6) There are mentions in the UK, Australia and US of black pumas, even though a melanistic puma would appear black dorsally and have a dirty cream/pale underside (melanistic pumas would not be uniformly black all over). Do you believe melanistic pumas exist in Australia or anywhere?
We would love to believe that a melanistic form of puma exists as it would help us explain a lot of reports, but there is still zero evidence for their existence.

7) Do you believe animals could escape a zoo or circus and live in the wilds of Australia? I ask this because usually an animal kept in captivity would be tracked down and either shot or caught.
Yes we do believe animals could easily live largely undetected in the wild here. You are right about the zoo or circus to a degree, but private collections would be another matter entirely. However, if an animal was released from a private collection or was lost/escaped, all the owners have to do is report that the animal has died and been buried/disposed of. No one from any department comes and physically checks that this is true – and that’s AFTER the laws were tightened. In our book we recount the recent example of a pygmy hippo that appeared to have been living quite well as an ‘escapee’ from a private collection in the Northern Territory. Pygmy hippos are not renowned for their stealth, so if a large water-loving mammal can live happily undetected in the Australian bush, why not an exotic cat?

8) It's interesting that in Australia there are some truly monstrous feral cats - how do you think these have come about ?
Another unknown...we’re not sure why ‘just’ the environment here would force this issue. Why not elsewhere? Cats are incredibly adaptable predators that thrive in all kinds of conditions. Not many people realise that cats can survive for long periods without water, subsisting on the liquids (blood) they get from their prey. While Australia may seem quite an inhospitable environment for a cat, quite the opposite is true. We would love to see the nuclear DNA sequence one day to see if there is anything odd in the male line, such as a golden cat.

9) Do you think the overly large feral cats explain most black leopard sightings even though whatever its size, a feral cat doesn't resemble a black leopard.
They could certainly explain some of them, especially at a distance when dealing with looking up or down a slope, but about three video sequences filmed in the last 20 years clearly show animals that do not conform to Felis catus morphology. The rest of the videos often show an animal that looks cheetah-like in shape, with a small head, often having pointed ears, which would seemingly rule out anything from the Panthera genus.

10) Have there been any reports of screaming cats, a noise which a puma would make?
Yes, especially from Western Australia and central Victoria. However, just to muddy the waters further, these sounds are often heard on farms where black cats are being seen.

11) In the book there aren't many mentions of animals with cubs - do you receive many reports of animals with cubs?
Very few.

12) How far do you think sightings go back in the history of Australia concerning large, exotic cats?
Around the middle of the 1880s, which is roughly the time the first circus menageries started touring the country.

13) Do you believe inadequate research the world over is hindering the situation and relegating it to folklore ?
Yes and no. Inadequate due to lack of time and money, for sure... The research needs more tangibles like DNA, primary and secondary evidence - like the recent successful hair and DNA analysis that identified Leopard hair from the Huddisford Woods in the UK. It’s unfortunate that too often many of these sightings become a part of folklore despite their basis in fact.

14) It seems highly unlikely in my opinion that Thylacoleo carnifex still roams the Australian bush. Do you believe it still exists and if not, what are people seeing?
Yes, we agree that it is highly unlikely – it’s highly improbable. But having said that, it’s still possible. If it does not exist, then we cannot explain the large six-toed prints (and we are aware of polydactlyl Felis catus) or the witness descriptions of animals that have a box-like ‘possum’ head of the marsupial lion. Researcher Steve Temby filmed several sequences of animals in roughly one location over several months, and claims to have caught a Thylacoleo on film in one sequence. His footage was taken over several hundreds metres away from the animal with a normal low resolution video camera. He was adamant that through his high-powered binoculars he could see that the animal had a huge boxy head, unusual prominent canines and thick, strange legs. Yet the video shows what looks like a large cat moving around. Steve Temby also stated the gait of the animal was very odd. If Thylacoleo is still roaming Australia, we cannot explain the lack of "modern" Aboriginal art, Aboriginal folklore or even early settlers’ reports. The whole thing is very messy and very strange.

15) Lions would often seek a pride and large prey. Do you believe witnesses genuinely report lions in Australia or are they mistaking a puma for a lioness?
We have had very few lion-type reports (lion vocalisations come in sometimes). And yes, witnesses could confuse a puma for a lioness. Lions are a much more social animal and generally don’t care about being seen – a behaviour that proved costly for the Broken Hill lioness, which was spotted and shot by the side of the road.

16) Have you had any personal sightings of a large cat?
I (Mike) watched an animal through a starlight scope that moved with the speed of a cheetah, with a similar body shape and the fluidity of a large cat. Rebecca observed a black fox moving across a paddock, which she initially thought might have been a cat.

17) What's been your most intriguing investigation?
Probably the "Emmaville Panther", where we tracked down the skin of the animal shot by Charlie Leader, which we discuss in the book. We really thought we would crack that one with the DNA. The formaldehyde used to preserve the skin killed that Sherlock Holmes moment for us.

18) What other mystery animals roam Australia?
There’s a steady stream of big cat, Thylacine and yowie reports always coming in. Bunyip reports have virtually dried up – it’s likely the animals responsible for these sightings were seals.

19) What are your opinions on the yowie?
We think the odds of any ’undiscovered’ giant bipedal beast like the yowie/sasquatch/yeti sharing the same rough morphology and appearing on almost every continent a bit hard to fathom. We think it’s unlikely the ‘manimal’ is flesh-and-blood, but that’s largely based on the Australian experience. Just what it is we don’t know. We have interviewed numerous witnesses, lived in a yowie ‘hot spot’ and written about the phenomena for Fortean Times. We find the whole subject very interesting.

20) I have on record a handful of stories pertaining to phantom black dogs, or hellhounds, from Australia. Do you believe these legends can also melt into the 'big cat' situation?
No.

21) What other felidae are reported in Australia ?
Other than what we have chatted about, there are very few reports that don’t fit into any of these pigeon holes.

22) Have hair samples, faeces etc, been analysed by authorities and proven to belong to an exotic cat?
No, but then again they rarely if at all engage in such analysis.

23) For every genuine report you receive, how many crazy people contact you?
For every 50 reports we will get one weirdo. We’ve been stalked, harassed on the telephone and been the victims of character assassination. It’s not easy being sane and interested in mystery animals.

24) Do you believe the thylacine still exists?
Yes.

25) If authorities the world over admitted that large cats exist in places they shouldn't, what effect do you believe this will have on the eco-system, if such animals become a recognised species?
I think the animals exist in places they should not and damage those eco-systems regardless whether authorities recognise this problem. If they are recognised here (I cannot talk for anywhere else) then nothing will change. The media would trumpet ‘Big cats exist!’ Everyone would say "I always knew it" and change the channel to sport.

26) If the authorities admit to such animals being out there, do you believe they'll have to attempt to exterminate every cat?
Here? It would be impossible. Whatever the animals are, they do not go to trees if dogs chase them – in fact, the dogs are normally running the other way. The terrain is too thick and wild for tracking by humans and we do not have trained dogs here. Australian authorities simply don’t have the resources to deal with big cats – we lack general expertise. Add to that these cat-like animals don’t eat baits and don’t step into cages or traps and seem to have a canny sixth sense when it comes to infrared devices on cameras.

27) Do you know of anyone at the present who legally owns a large cat in Australia?
Yes.

28) Any plans for another 'big cat' book, or possibly a book on other Australian mystery animals ?
We’re presently working on re-issuing a big cat classic with a new foreword. We also have a few other mystery animal book ideas in the pipeline.

29) Do you believe that the witnesses who came forward in the book to say they'd been attacked by a large cat, were genuine ?
Genuine, yes; attacked by a big cat, no. They just don’t have the kind of injuries meted out by large exotic cats. Swipes from leopards, lions, tigers, jaguars and the like would leave the injured party with shredded flesh hanging from their arms, not superficial cuts and bruises.

30) What does the future hold for the 'big cats' in Australia?
Hopefully a body on the table – indisputable proof of the big cat in Australia. Thanks for taking the time to write these questions and for the ripper review!

Mike and Rebecca

HARRIET WADHAM REPORTING: More on Australian Big Cats

EDITOR'S NOTE: At the 2009 event Harriet met Neil Arnold and bought his two CFZ Press books. Neil was forced to cancel his 2010 WW appearance due to work commitments, although he has said that he will do his best to get to the 2011 event. Harriet is still not placated, and continues to berate poor Neil. If she is like this at 11, God help some poor lad in ten years time LOLOL

Now to inform those such as Neil Arnold (I’m talking to you again!!) just what was relayed to the spectators of the Australian Big Cats lecture…

As the lights dimmed and the first slide came up on the projector, the sound of what Rebecca afterwards identified as a cougar growl echoed around the lecture theatre. She introduced her talk and then the next slide appeared - a family-friendly warning, letting it be known that during the presentation there would be films that would make some people uncomfortable or that parents may not want to let their young children see. I don’t think there were any young children or any squeamish people in the audience; however, the warning wasn’t wasted on anyone because we could be prepared for a bit of gore, such as the videos of the big cat prey.

A film that particularly startled me was one of some extremely badly mauled sheep. The sheep pictured in the film had the top part of its jaw chewed off and its tongue was dry from having had no roof over it. Sceptics, where’s your proof that big cats AREN’T in Australia? It couldn’t have been mauled by a pack of wild dogs as they usually all gang up on one animal, and the corpse would have been scratched and bitten all over. This big cat was interrupted during its feasting, which was why only the sheep’s muzzle was chewed. After filming, the injured sheep were put down.

Rebecca commentated on all the videos as they were playing, giving the facts to us so we could see the scenario clearer; also she told us about people she had had a conversation with about Australian big cats; during these the other person gave their opinion about the subject at hand. So, Neil Arnold, here is your summary of an awesome talk. I hoped you enjoyed it and keep reading, fellers!

HARRIET WADHAM: More on Australian Big Cats

EDITOR's NOTE: Harriet was particularly disappointed that Neil Arnold was forced to cancel his WW appearance because of work committments. And like any woman scorned, she will bang on about it till the cows come home! (Bloody Hell that girl will be scary in a few years).

So back to the topic of Rebecca and her big cats; I attended her lecture on big cats in Australia. In fact, I came early so as to bag a front seat as Ruby has proven to be an excessively great friend; also cats are my favourite animals and the subject of big cats has recently begun to pose some great interest for me, therefore I’m eager to learn more. So, it’s lucky that I’m learning from a friend, not least a brilliant one. Now, just to be evil, in my next blog entry I will relate to all those of you who didn’t attend the Weird Weekend the highlights of the Australian Big Cats lecture… Yes, Neil Arnold, I’m talking to YOU.

Keep reading!!

NEIL ARNOLD: The Sussex Lion Hoax

Reports of lions and tigers in the English countryside are very often the product of hoax or the occasional zoo escapee, which is easily recaptured or unfortunately shot dead. Lions and tigers would not survive for long in the British Isles, and yet I find it amazing just how many stories pertaining to ‘lion hunts’ and ‘tiger pursuits’ hit the headlines. One such story, from the summer of 1933, concerned four men who claimed that a lion named Rex had escaped from its enclosure at a zoo in Sussex. The story continued through autumn into winter. The coverage as follows:

On October 19th 1933 The Times ran the headline of the ‘Sussex Lion Hunt - Public Mischief Charge’

Evidence For Defence

Justices yesterday resumed their hearing of the case in which four men were summoned as a sequel to a hunt for a lion, named Rex, which was reported to have escaped near Bognor Regis early in July. The defenrdants are: William Edmund Butlin, of The Park, Skegness; Clifford Stanley Joste, of Butlin's Zoo, Bognor Regis; Alan Leslie Proctor, of Glamis Street, Bognor Regis; and John Waller Wensley, of Church Farm, Pagham. The charge as set out in the summons read:- For that You, on or about the fourth day of July, at the parish of Bognor Regis, unlawfully did conspire, combine, confederate, and agree together to commit a certain misdemeanour, namely, to commit a public mischief by your conduct and by means of certain false statements to wit, that a lion, which was being transported in a motor-vehicle at the instance of you, the said William Edmund Butlin, had escaped at or near Clymping . . . and was then at large in the neighbourhood of Bognor Regis, and further that a certain sheep which had been killed and the carcase thereof mutilated by one Charies Bailey, at the instance of and with the connivance of you, the said William Edmund Butlin, Clifford Stanley Joste, Alan Leslie Proctor, and John Waller Wensley, had been killed and mauled by the said lion, thereby causing officers of the West Sussex Constabulary to devote their time and services to the investigation of such false statements, thus temporarily depriving the public of the services of the Public oficers and thereby also Putting the Public in fear against the peace of our Lord the King, his Crown and Dignity.

REPORTED ESCAPE - Yesterday Ernest Newsome, Butlin's secretary at Skegness, said that when Butlin telephoned from Bognor on July 4 he told him all the animals had left Skegness. After reading of the reported escape of the lion he made inquiries, found that the lion had not been sent, and telephoned Butlin's mother.

Mr. Flowers: Could a lion drop off a lorry on the way from - Skegness to Bognor and the lorry-driver not know he had lost it ?

Newsome: I should say it is quite feasible.

Mr. Bray submitted that no prima facie case had been made out against Joste, or,'if there was a case, it was so flimsy that it would be " a public mischief " if the Court did not dispose of it. Mr. Bray said that it was clear there was no Conspiracy and that Joste had no criminal intention.

Proctor, giving evidence, said he was an artist by profession, but by force of circumstances he was also a part-time journalist. He sometimes assisted his father, who was a local accredited agent for a London newspaper. The witness said he had heard about the Craigweil lion, which had been definitely regarded in the neighbourhood as a joke. On Tuesday, July 4, he went to Butlins Fun Fair between 3 and 5 p.m. to see if he could gain any information about the rumour that a lion had recently escaped. He first saw Joste and then immediately afterwards saw Mr. Butlin, but Mr. Butlin would neither confirm nor deny the rumour. The witness said he did not make any inquiries until a second interview with Mr. Butlin, whom he saw at 7 that same evening. Mr. Butlin said he was still uncertain whether it was his lion or not; and Mr. Butlin led him to believe that if there was a lion loose in the district it would in all probability be his. The same evening he heard that a lion had escaped and told his father what he had learned, and a short "story " was written up and telegraphed to London. This brought down reporters of London newspapers the next day. The witness said that he did not himself send any "story” to London. When he left Butlin on the Tuesday he really believed a lion was loose, and he gave his father an accurate account of what he had heard. He certainly never intended to frighten the public or waste the time of the police. Proctor's case was then closed and the hearing adjourned till Monday

October 24th 1933
The Sussex Lion Story
The Chichester Justices yesterday committed for trial the four men accused of conspiracy to commit a public mischief by alleged false statements that a lion had escaped near Clymping and had killed a sheep, thereby temporarily depriving the public of the services of police officers investigating the statements. The defendants are WILLIAM EDMUND BUTLIN of The Park, Skegness. The defendants all denied the allegations. Wensley, giving evidence, described a meeting with Proctor, when he said the latter paid him 30s. for a sheep. Proctor said, "After your man has killed it, will you ask him to maul it about a bit and throw it under a hedge."

Wensley added, " I think he said he wanted the Press to believe that a lion was at large." Later Buthn and others came to look at tbe sheep, and Butlin remarked that “by all appearances it was a lion's work."

Wensley, cross-examined by Mr. Flowers, said, I really thought a lion was at large, because I had heard so many rumours about lions- vegetarian and so on." (Laughter.)

Mr. Flowers.-Your efforts were to convince people that this was not a vegetarian lion, were they not? (Laughter.) The MAGISTRATES held that a prima facie case for investigation by a superior Court had been established and they committed all four defendants for trial at the Assizes. Each man was allowed bail in his own recognizances in thc sum of £100.

December 22nd 1933
STORY OF LION’S ESCAPE

Replying to Mr. CASSELS (his counsel), Butlin said that he thought the newspaper report was correct in so far as it referred to a lion being at large. He thought then that the lion, which was supposed to have come from Skegness, had, in fact, escaped. He spent most of that morning dodging newspaper reporters. Referring to the finding of the sheep's carcass, Mr. Butlin said that he had nothing to do with the payment of 5s. to Bailey, the shepherd, by Wensley. He did not know Wensley, and had never heard of him till that day. " When I saw the carcass," he added, "I asked Wensley if he had had any sheep killed by dogs recently, and he said he had not. I thought in my own mind then that my lion had killed the sheep." Butlin described how during that morning and after he went out by car he borrowed somc fish- ing nets with which to recapture the lion. He still believed that Rex was at large. " I did not realize the real position until later that day, when a message was received from Skegness that Rex had not been sent to Bognor." ; He thought then that the best way to end the matter was to say the lion had been recaptured. Had he said that the lion had not escaped he might not have been believed. " Had this been done for publicity," added Mr. Butlin, " I could have given a graphic pic- ture of its recapture. Instead I ' killed ' the story at once."

"A BAD ADVERTISEMENT"

JUSTICE CHARLES.-Was it not a bad advertisement to you as an experienced show- man that a lion should have escaped from a weak or damaged crate ?-

Yes, it was a poor advertisement and has done more harm to me than people think. Cross-examined by Mr. JOHN FLOWERS, K.C., prosecuting, Mr. Butlin said that the lorry load of animals from Skegness was in charge of the driver, who would not necessarily know what animals he had on board.

Mr. FLOWERS.-Who was responsible for call-ing in a veterinary surgeon after the lion was supposed to have been recaptured ?-

A "vet" is always called in when we get something in the papers about our animals. Cranks start inquiring whether animals have been ill-treated in any way, so we get a veterinary surgeon in to say that they are in good condition.
MR. JUSTICE CHARLES:The lion might have been eating tomatoes and been suffering from an intestinal disorder. (Laughter.) Butlin did not agree that a story of a lions escape and recapture would have drawn a mass of people in Sussex to the show in order to see the animal. “In case people thought it was an attempt at publicity," he said, " I did not have a lion in the menagerie the rest of the summer."

Mr. Flowers.-If you did not want this report to spread you could have denied it from the start ?-
I thought at first it was true.
MIR. JUSTICE CHARLES.-If you thought a lion was at large and had not told the police and someone got hurt you would have been very much blamed ?
Yes.
Several witncsses were called regarding the demeanour of people in the district after the news that a lion was out. One witness said that they did not appear in any way worried and the state of affairs was different from what he had anticipated. The driver of the lorry which brought the original load of animals from Skegness said that he had on board an empty crate, which he should have left at an address in Tottenham Court Road. He did not do so because the road near was up and he was advised to " move on” in case of obstruction. He took the crate to Bognor. Albert Gray, manager of the zoo at Bognor, said that he received a list of animals expected from Skegness. It included a lion, and when he saw the empty crate he thought a lion had escaped and informed Butlin. He told the witness to keep things as quiet as he could and make inquiries. Joste said that he was the manager of Butlin's Auto-cars, Limited, of which Mr. Butlin was managing director. He denied that he had said that the matter was just " a little harmless publicity."
" At no time have I ever suggested it was a stunt," he said. " I heard rumours about a lion being at large, and when I saw it in a newspaper I thought it was true.

KILLING A SHEEP - Proctor in his evidence, also said that, following the rumours, he believed on July 4 that a lion was at large. He denied that the report which appeared the following day was written by him, but said he supplied some of the material, which he then thought was true. He agreed that he asked Wensley to sell him a sheep, to kill it, and leave the carcass under a hedge. It was meant as a joke.

MR. JUSTIICE CHARLES.-Is that Your idea of a joke ? You paid 35s. and left the carcass under a hedge.
Proctor.-Partly as a joke and partly for gaining copy for news.
MR. JUSTICE CHARLES.- You meant to deccive people ?-
Yes.
You did your best to make it look as if the scare were a real one ?-
Yes.
Proctor added that he did not tell Mr. Butlin or Joste what he had done, and he was not aware that a lion had not in fact escaped until he was served with a summons. Wensley, in his evidence, said that he thought that the leaving of the sheep under the hedge was a joke. He had no intention of being a party to a public mischief.
The evidence was concluded and counsel addressed the jury.
MR. JUSTICE CHARLES, in summing up, said that the case was not nearly so important as had been made out. Nothing would probably have been heard of it had it not been for the grossly improper article published by a newspaper. That was the genesis of the trouble. It might have been a showmans stunt or a reporters stunt, but so far as Butlin was concerned it was a little difficult to see what he had to gain by such ridiculous nonsense. What he had to lose was pretty obvious. It was necessary that the public should have been put in fear. Some witnesses had said they were put in fear because of the false report, but the jury would probably have no doubt that that part of the case was exaggerated, for for every one who was put in fear there were 50 or 60 who had no discomfort at all. That affected the seriousness of the case, but not the question of guilt.

BUTLIN AND JOSTE ACQUITED

MR. JUSTICE CHARLES ruled that there was no direct evidence against Butlin and Joste on the charge of committing a public mischief. He left the question of conspiracy to the jury. The jury found Butlin and Joste Not Guilty on the conspiracy charge and they were discharged. Proctor and Wensley were found Not Guilty of conspiracy but Guilty of committing the mischief.
MR. JUSTICE CHARLES fined Proctor £30 and ordered him to pay a share of the costs of the prosecution. Wensley was fined £10. In imposing the fines the Judge said that he did not want to send them to prison, but he wanted to give an indication of his stern disapproval of their conduct. They had been found guilty of a very mischievous and foolish course of conduct which had caused a great deal of unnecessary trouble. Addressing Proctor he said: " I hope you are heartily ashamed of yourself. You have misled the public and you dragged Wensley into it. I hope your father will deal with you”.

THERE ARE INDEED BIG CATS IN BRITAIN (BUT IT WAS THE CFZ WHO FOUND THEM)

TANIA POOLE: Tales from the Antipodes

So I’ve heard many people mention to me that they have seen things. Big Cats are an extremely common sight here in Central Victoria. Thylacines are more fascinating, but then Yowies and Bunyips are even more exciting! People who have spoken to me are local people yet cover an area from Horsham to Gippsland. I’m yet to speak to some more people I have on my list, so they will come when they come. Josie is a new friend of mine, and she told me about this sighting at a Yule feast, so I decided to make her the first interviewed.

Interview with Josie Harris

Tania: Where do you live?

Josie: I live in Ballarat now, but my family is from Amphitheatre, which is on the way to Avoca. It’s the start of the Great Divide.

T: So is that the Pyrenees area?

J: Yeah, the mountains look the same as the Pyrenees in France. A lot of it is original growth. It wasn’t cut back when it was settled.

T: How long has your family been up there?

J: Grandpa’s farm was selected by our family, so they’ve been there since settlement.

T: How big is the land?

J: 10,000 acres – it’s quite big.

T: What, sheep?

J: Yep, sheep, since the start

T: So, what have you seen up there?

J: It was when I was about 13. I used to ride horses a lot with my cousins. I’ve got 58 cousins – it’s a huge family – so some of my cousins and I were riding along a dirt road that becomes bitumen later on when you go into Amphitheatre, into the actual town. Just before we got to the bitumen this big cat jumped across the road, and scared the crap out of the horses and we got bucked off.

T: What did it look like?

J: First we thought it was a dog, but it was definitely a cat, 'cause it had a big curved tail, kind of like a dusty brown and the top was darker, don’t know if it was black or brown. It came out from behind a tree and ran across the road into the bush.

T: Do you think it was a feral or definitely a big cat?

J: It was definitely a big cat, as it was the size of one.

T: 'Cause of the tail? The tail and the shoulders are quite distinct.

J: Yeah, and it had a flat head, like a big cat – the flat forehead. You could definitely tell it was not a dog.

T: What time of day was this?

J: Afternoon; we’d just had lunch.

T: What year?

J: I was 13 so it must have been 1995

T: Was it in summer?

J: Yeah, summer holidays. And I’ve heard stuff from other relatives as well; a lot of people have been up in the hills, shooting and stuff, my mum swears, and mum isn’t into this....

T: Bit of a sceptic?

J: Yeah, but she reckons one day she was up in the hills shooting with dad, they just heard this massive roar kind of sound coming from the other hills cause you can often yell from one hill to the other and it echoes clearly.

T: Acoustics is good. Called Amphitheatre for a reason.

J: Yeah, it's all rocky – bush with rocky outcrops. There is no one living on the farm now, but we still own it.

T: What else have your relatives seen?

J: One of my cousins thinks he saw one over in Dunnolly – sort of near Amphitheatre, near Maldon. He was at a party and something was scaring the cows outside and they went out and they reckon they saw one. And on WIN (channel 9) news a few years ago there were footprints – they found big cat footprints in the area.

T: Do you or your family have any theories about where they might come from?

J: There are a few stories – one is that some people brought some back after the Second World War or something – had them as mascots and they got away or let them go. Then there’s the theory that a guy at Miners Rest had a circus – when he retired they were pets, but got away – they’re the stories I heard.

T: What else is out there? Have you heard of anything else?

J: [Laughs] my sister thinks she saw a Bunyip. I don’t know if I believe her or not.

T: What did she see? What was it?

J: We don’t know. Mum reckons it might have been a sheep standing on its hind legs eating the trees. My sister was down at the creek one day, and she came running back and said that she saw it.

T: How old was she?

J: She was 12 – she is 18 now.

T: Did she describe it?

J: She said it was big and hairy and it was trying to hide in the trees, but she saw it and it ran off.
T: Did it run like a sheep?

J: On two legs.

T: On two legs?

J: Yeah. She thinks.

T: She thinks? Wasn’t a Yowie possibly?

J: No idea.

T: Was it brown, or was it like a sheep – a pale brown colour?

J: She said it was brown and black and furry. She said it was more furry that woolly; that’s why she’ll never to this day agree that it was a sheep. Coz she reckons it was furry. Not woolly.

T: Do you think it was like a Yowie? Like a Bigfoot?

J: Could have been. They’ve been seen sort of near there.

T: Where?

J: Just rumours – further up north, in more forest areas, near Bendigo and Swan Hill.

T: Was that on the property as well – where the cats are?

J: Yep, they live in that area.

T: Yowies?

J: Big cats.

T: You think they live in the hills?

J: The rabbit virus never really took hold – lots of rabbits up there - that’s probably what they eat. I’ll never forget that cat though. It scared the hell out of me and the horses. And the one we saw on the footage on WIN news 5 or 6 years ago looked like the same.

T: You haven’t heard of any Thylacines in the area?

J: Only further south, near the Otways.

T: And the Grampians.

J: That’s certainly a hotspot.

T: Thanks Jo!

Of course after hearing about her sister’s sighting, I thought this interview was far from over. But then I’ve not yet met her sister, except for a short phone conversation and an email but she has not replied to my request – so I am not sure whether she wants to be interviewed about it, or whether it really was just made up by her. Josie seems rather dubious about her sister’s story, so I am not sure what to believe.

SHAMELESS PLUG FROM MIKE AND RUBY

Meoooooowwwwwwwwww!

The launch of CFZers Mike Williams and Rebecca Lang's book, Australian Big Cats: An Unnatural History of Panthers, is getting closer.

Read more about the book here - http://www.australianbigcats.com.au/

Stay tuned for the big launch!

`BIG CATS IN THE UK - YOUR OPINION PLEASE` by Neil Arnold

Recently I wrote a post regarding my opinions on as to why large exotic felids roam the wilds of the UK. This seemed to irk a few in the ‘big cat’ community, as it always seems to do. I’ve always thought that a rather down to earth explanation could solve the riddle as to why black leopard, puma and lynx inhabit the woods of Britain. For me, it always pointed, certainly in more recent times, to the introduction of the 1976 Dangerous Wild Animals Act, where many cat owners decided to dump their novelty pets in the woods. Reports dating centuries previous could well be explained by escapees/releases from circuses, private zoos and travelling menageries. All the evidence points to this when you consider reports in the press, menagerists’ and their incidents, and some owners admitting they’d released animals.

Now, after stating this I was accused by the hilariously named ‘The Highland Tiger’ of being ‘outlandish’ and full of ‘hot air’, with no evidence to back this up, or the claims that I’d ever seen or filmed a large cat in the wilds. Usually, any posts I decide to write always provoke a petty response from those cowardly folk who are unable to come out from their façade, but tragically, it has always proved me right that the ‘big cat’ community is unfortunately littered with people who



a) are completely deluded by thinking these animals have some more esoteric, or even prehistoric explanation,

b) are simply out to stir the s**t,

c) seem to have no valid theories to put forward themselves,

d) have never seen a large cat in the wilds because they are too busy stuck behind a PC all day.

I’d like to hear everyone’s opinion to maybe put this boring, tiresome debacle to bed. I’ve always written about monsters but in regards to the ‘big cat’ situation I’ve sought no reason to create any kind of mystery when there isn’t one to create. It’s clear that myself and the CFZ has opposition out there, and that’s always going to happen but clearly this debate will rage forever because there clearly are a lot of sad anoraks out there with nothing better to.

I’d simply like to know where do you think ‘big cats’ came from, and if you’ve seen one please do reply.


Many thanks,

Neil Arnold

NEIL ARNOLD: Cats That Can’t Be Caught…Cats That Could Be Bought

I collected my first ‘big cat’ newspaper clipping when I was eight years old. It was 1982. I investigated my first eye-witness report when I was ten. I would’ve thought that after more than twenty years researching the subject, the age-old myths and theories would have been dispelled by now. The reality is the so-called ‘big cat situation', certainly in the UK, is as dull as dishwater. When I first read Di Francis’s Cat Country and The Beast of Exmoor, and also Janet & Colin Bord’s Alien Animals, I found them dated, despite at the time they were considered refreshing with their theories and coverage. Again, a few decades later nothing has changed.

With more and more websites devoted to exotic cat ‘research’ popping up, you’d have thought that the woods of Britain were full of ‘big cat’ enthusiasts. You would’ve also thought that the age-old theories would have been put to bed with so many minds at work. Sadly no.

There are countless websites and books, which mention that in the 1960s you could walk into Harrods Dept. Store in London and purchase a large exotic cat. This is indeed true, to some extent. I have records that lion and puma were purchased there, but no black leopards. Now, this doesn’t mean to say such animals were not purchased there, but I’ve read over the years from various ‘researchers’ that not enough people have come forward to admit they owned large cats (but let’s face it, not many people who released animals would come forward), and no receipts have been found etc. In the British ‘big cat’ situation, the naivety is astounding, and I truly believe that people are seeking a mystery that just isn’t there. It is a FACT that large exotic cats DO roam the UK. I’ve seen them; I’ve filmed them. Many other people have. But the constant conflict of theories is rather embarrassing to say the least. It’s as if people want these elusive animals to be supernatural; it’s as if they want them to have an origination beyond escapees/releases. But the reality is that the explanation is very simple. The mystery has taken over the mind.

Earlier in April 2010 I spoke to Harrods archive department regarding receipts etc, to prove that large cats were purchased. Now, apart from the story of Christian the lion and the occasional other case where press were interested, a majority of sales would have simply been destroyed as regards to receipts and archives. Any member of the public or celebrity who acquired an exotic pet would have been treated with strictest confidence and their sale filed but then destroyed after filling the archives for a few years. Harrods were not and are not responsible for the animals that roam the southeast today. And neither are those alleged circuses said to have dumped their animals, and neither are the zoo parks who may have lost the occasional cat. The ‘big cat’ situation will always be a sum of many parts because of the hilarious theories and attitudes of those involved in the research. Sadly, there is nothing enigmatic about as to why such animals roam the UK.

I’ve just finished my new book, Mystery Animals of the British Isles: London, and whilst collating evidence I was shocked to find a startling number of incidents where people purchased large exotic cats oh so casually. Certainly over the last couple of decades it has been increasingly difficult to purchase a ‘big cat’ although the drug dealers across the United States and South America have proven otherwise as their black leopards and tigers continue to escape into the wilds. I thought it would be difficult finding any records of cat attacks on humans, cats escaping, purchases etc, but in fact there was an alarming regularity in the purchases of such animals. Most of these animals, such as puma, were purchased as cute, cuddly cubs. It seems that for every animal purchased pre-1976 (when the Dangerous Wild Animals Act was introduced), many went unrecorded, but thankfully, due to some newspaper archives and my own digging and delving, it proves that a majority of animals seen in the wilds today ARE offspring of animals released back then. And as we know, there are a handful of relatively modern cases of animals escaping or being released (2001 lynx in London and in 1987, four female pumas and two lynx released into Kent woodlands).

These kind of situations haven’t just gone on for decades but centuries, and that’s why there are large, exotic cats in the wilds. The Victorian era was a prime time for exotic beasts to be paraded through the streets, fields and in shops. And there exist records of purchases more than a century previous to this.

We must seek the consistency of reports rather than taking note of the occasional lion, tiger and jaguar sighting. Eye-witness reports must be taken with a pinch of salt when they are inconsistent. Only recently I read of several Kent-based sightings (and more fool the website owner for putting them up) in which one witness stated, “I don’t know if it was a fox or a panther…”, and another, “..similar to a tabby with a white belly. Slight hint of green in the fur...tail, bushy and same proportion to as a domestic cat”. Sounds to me exactly like a domestic cat, I’m afraid. It’s worrying to see such bizarre reports featured on websites.

Black leopard, puma, lynx and jungle cat are the main four species of cat in the UK wilds. Caracal and ocelot also feature but are of a far smaller percentage. However, before we start trudging through the woods looking for exotic cats with green fur, or lions and tigers, we must look at their origins to realise that there’s no mystery, and that any mystery created is simply down to bad research.

I hope my ‘…London’ book will provide the answers, certainly in respect for the southeast. And I believe that if the whole of the southeast can be explained, then surely so can the rest of the UK. Why create prehistoric survivors in one county, monster feral cats in another, supernatural demons in another, and lions and tigers somewhere else when there’s no consistency in this ?

‘Big cats’ in the UK have become an urban legend because the mystery surrounding them is false. Trigger cams litter the countryside because researchers everywhere hope they can find their Holy Grail, which in their minds, will earn them a badge of honour.

Recently the organisation called Natural England, according to the tabloids, stated that “Big Cats Are A Myth”. Sometimes I wish they were, although when you look at some of the theories and reports which are filed and methods used to ‘track’ them, it’s no wonder such animals have been filed alongside UFOs and ghosts.

In their Alien Animals book, Janet & Colin Bord called their ‘big cat’ chapter ‘Cats That Can’t Be Caught….’ I sincerely hope that statement rings true many years from now. However, despite the foggy lore created around these animals, I think it would be more apt updating the chapter title to ‘Cats That Could Be Bought…’ because that’s the answer to it all.

CFZ AUSTRALIA: Big cat sightings in the Otways- Geelong Advertiser

While wildlife experts are still poring over footage captured in February, claiming to be of the legendary beast, it is fair to say high-quality images of a big cat are as hard to catch as the animal itself. Freedom of Information documents have shown Parks Victoria continues to receive reports of sightings. These reports are not from people heading straight to the media for publicity. These are reports from people quietly passing on their experiences to the powers that govern our forests.


The countless fuzzy photos, animal carcasses and footprints not only stoke claims of the big cat's existence but also sharpen the criticisms of sceptics. This week the Geelong Advertiser will take a closer look at the legends and see if we can put any flesh on the bones of our very own popular urban myth. The latest sighting was by Otways resident Connie Whistance who captured some grainy vision near Binns Track on the edge of the Otway National Park


What are your thoughts on this story? Tell us using the feedback form below


"It was there for a good 15 to 20 minutes," Ms Whistance said. "It looked down like it was eating something and eventually it went back into the swampland."


So what are the theories?


Well, the stories about what the Otway big cat is are as varied as the numerous sightings of the animal. One popular legend my own mother used to tell me was that the big cat was a cougar that was a mascot for visiting US troops who set it free after World War II.


There are other theories for the supposed existence of big cats in forests up and down the country's eastern seaboard. One is that they escaped from circuses in the 19th century; another that they were brought in by gold miners around the same period. Now, some theorise that any over-grown feline beast could be a distant relative of the thylocoleo or marsupial lion, a fairly large and imposing carnivore who trod the Earth at the end of the pleistocene era.


Not all authorities are sceptics about big cats in Australia.


The Sydney Morning Herald reported in 2003 that it was 'more likely than not' a colony of big cats was roaming Sydney's outskirts, and Dr John Henry from Deakin University wrote more than a decade ago of the possibility of cats in the grampians.



Posted By CFZ Australia to Centre for Fortean Zoology Australia at 4/16/2010 04:04:00 PM

IT'S ALL OVER - EVERYTHING WE DO IS POINTLESS

'So it's all piffle and baldersash,' wrote Davey Curtis, (we hope) tongue in cheek, as he sent us the following news item....

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/2010/04/cats-all-folks.html

The Sun have announced (with a typically crappy headline) that `Natural England` have said that "BIG cats like the Beast of Bodmin are NOT prowling Britain's countryside, it was officially declared yesterday."

So who are these people?

Wikipedia: "Natural England is a non-departmental public body of the UK government. It was formed (vested) on 1 October 2006. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved. It also has a responsibility to help people enjoy, understand and access the natural environment".

The newspaper report continues:

A wallaroo - a kind of kangaroo - was among sightings of other exotic species scoffed at by the investigators.

Goodness me. I vaguely remembered something from my childhood:

There are badgers and bidgers and bodgers,
and a Super-in-tendent's House,
There are masses of goats,
and a Polar,and different kinds of mouse,
And I think there's a sort of a something
which is called a wallaboo
But I gave buns to the elephant
when I went down to the Zoo!

Sadly Christopher Robin was no help, but Wikipedia confirmed that there are indeed three species of Macropus called wallaroos, but I have to say that I have never heard any suggestion that they are living wild in the UK. So, I am at a loss here. Who do I lampoon? The Sun for printing this tripe, or a branch of our increasingly idiotic government for writing it. Amusingly the only bit of sense in the whole piece comes from a CFZ member and is right at the end..

Last night expert Trevor Beer, of Barnstaple, Devon, insisted: "The big cats ARE out there. Natural England are just making fools of themselves."

Right on Trevor!

Hmmmmmmm.