Phantom cat

Phantom Cat

(Alien Big Cat)
Creature
Grouping	Cryptid
Sub grouping	Various
Data
Country	Various
Region	Various
Habitat	Various

Phantom cats, also known as Alien Big Cats (ABCs), are large felines, such as jaguars or cougars, which have been purported to appear in regions outside their indigenous range. Sightings, tracks and predation have been reported in a number of countries and states including Britain, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, Eastern United States, Hawaii, and Luxembourg.

As with other aspects of cryptozoology, the study of Phantom Cats is considered by mainstream science to constitute pseudoscience or fringe science. In general, scientists reject the possibility that such mega-fauna cryptids exist, because of the improbably large numbers necessary to maintain a breeding population^[1] and because climate and food supply issues make their survival in reported habitats unlikely.^[2]

Britain

Main article: British big cats

Since the 1960s, there have been many sightings of big cats across Great Britain.^[3] A 15-month survey conducted in 2003-2004 by the British Big Cats Society gave the following regional breakdown, based on 2052 sightings: South West 21%, South East 16%, East Anglia 12%, Scotland 11%, and West Midlands 9%.^[4]

Ireland

Irish myths and legends of 'big cats' have existed in folklore for generations. Recent unconfirmed sightings of big cats have been common in the bog lands of the middle of the country, the burren area of limestone in the west and the Phoenix Park in Dublin (the largest walled park in Europe and the site of Dublin Zoo). Since the 1980s there have been numerous alleged sightings of big cats in the Phoenix Park, which also holds a deer population. Local authorities became active in the search for these big cats after park rangers reported young deer going missing in 1995. The investigation was fruitless, and no big cats were found. The possibility of big cats in the area was not improbable as a local illegal dealer of exotic animals in the Palmerstown area of Dublin had released a bobcat into the Northern Ireland countryside.^[5]

Australia

Sightings of exotic big cats in Australia began more than 100 years ago. The New South Wales State Government reported in 2003 that it was "more likely than not" that there was a colony of exotic big cats living in the bush near Sydney.^[6][7]

Gippsland phantom cat

Main article: Gippsland phantom cat

In the Gippsland region of south-eastern Victoria, the origin of the cats is claimed^[who?] to be American World War II airmen who brought cougars with them as mascots and released them in the Australian Bush.^[8] Photographic evidence is often difficult to interpret.^[who?]

Grampians puma

Main article: Grampians puma

A study by Deakin University concluded that a big cat population in the Grampians mountain range is "beyond reasonable doubt".^[9]

Blue Mountains Panther

Main article: Blue Mountains Panther

The Blue Mountains Panther is a phantom cat reported in sightings in the Blue Mountains area, west of Sydney, New South Wales for over a century. Speculation about the Blue Mountains Panther includes the theory that it is descended from either circus or zoo escapees, or is a descendant of a military mascot.

Video footage showing a large black cat near Lithgow was examined by a group of seven zoo, museum, parks and agriculture staff, who concluded that it was a large domestic cat (2–3 times normal size) based partly on its morphology and partly on the behaviour of a nearby normal-sized domestic cat.^[7]

Tantanoola Tiger

The region around Tantanoola, a town in the south-east of South Australia was supposed to have been the stalking ground of The Tantanoola Tiger during the late nineteenth century. In 1895 an animal believed to be the Tantanoola Tiger was shot and identified as an Assyrian wolf. It was stuffed and remains on display in the Tantanoola Hotel.^[10][11]

Sunshine Coast big cats

There have been some claims that "Big Cats" have stalked the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland since early in the 19th century.^[12][13] These claims have been met with skepticism.^[13]

Western Australia

Further information: Cougars in Western Australia

Denmark

In 1995, a big cat usually described as a lion (but sometimes as a lynx) was dubbed the "Beast of Funen" by numerous eye-witnesses.^[14] There was an earlier big cat sighting from 1982 in southern Jutland.^[14]

The Netherlands

In 2005 a black cougar was allegedly spotted on several occasions in a wildlife preserve,^{[15][dead link]} but the animal, nicknamed Winnie, was later identified as an unusually large crossbreed between a domestic and a wild cat.^[16]

New Zealand

Since the late 1990s, big cat sightings have been reported in widely separated parts of New Zealand, in both the North^[17] and South Islands.^[18] There have been several unverified panther sightings in Mid-Canterbury near Ashburton and in the nearby foothills of the Southern Alps,^[19][20][21] but searches conducted there in 2003 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry found no corroborating physical evidence.^[17]

United States

California

Phantom black "panthers" have been reported across the state, and are seen with particular frequency at and around Mount Diablo, in Contra Costa County, California.^[22]

Hawaii

Stories of "mystery big cats" on the island of Maui have been circulating since the late 1980s.^{[citation needed]} In December 2002, sightings of a big cat increased in number in the Kula (upcountry) area, and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife requested the help of big cat wildlife biologists William Van Pelt and Stan Cunningham of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Van Pelt and Cunningham believed the cat was probably a large feline, such as a Jaguar, Leopard or Mountain Lion.^[23][24] It may have been illegally brought into Hawaii as a pet and released or allowed to wander in the wild. No big cat was detected by traps, infrared cameras, and professional trackers. A fur sample was obtained in 2003 but DNA analysis was inconclusive. The state's hunt for the cat was suspended in late November 2003, after three weeks without sightings.^[25] Utah State University professor and wildlife biologist Robert Schmidt expressed strong doubts about the cat's existence, likening it to the Loch Ness monster.^[26] There was a sighting of the Phantom Cat crossing an intersection going into the mountains at 9:11 Maui time on the 6th of January 2011.^{[citation needed]}

Mississippi

"Black panther" sightings have been reported in many rural areas of Mississippi. The existence of the Mississippi panther is accepted by many natives, even though there has never been any scientific proof to support this belief. The state's proximity to the habitat of the Florida panther is sometimes given as evidence that cougars could also exist in Mississippi. Opponents to the theory deny the existence of the panthers or claim that witnesses are simply mis-identifying the native lynxes or "bobcats".

Delaware

There have been reported sightings of what is believed to be a mountain lion in the northern Delaware forests since the late 1990's. It is believed that the creature lives somewhere in the Pike Creek or White Clay Creek area, as this is where the majority of the numerous sightings have occurred. The Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife believes there may be more than one mountain lion in Delaware, and that they originate from animals released from captivity.^[27]

Luxembourg

In 2009, a black panther was allegedly spotted in the industrial area of Bommelscheuer near Bascharage.^[28] When police came, the panther was gone. In the following couple of days, the panther was spotted all over the country. For a while it was alleged that a panther had escaped a nearby zoo (Amnéville), but the zoo later denied that any panther was missing. A couple of days after the Bascharage incident, it also was mentioned that although the police did find no panther, they did find an unusually large housecat.^[29] So it is probable that the initial witness mistook a common cat for a panther, and that the "witnesses" of the later sightings just wanted to join in on the fun.

India

Main article: Pogeyan

The Pogeyan is a cryptid grey big cat, a feline; known to local people, allegedly living in the Western Ghats, India. The name "Pogeyan" is derived from the local dialect and means "The cat that comes and goes like the mist"

See also

• Introduced species

References

1. ^ Stephanie Earls (2003-10-19). "Bigfoot hunting". http://home.clara.net/rfthomas/news/bfhunting.html. Retrieved 2010-02-09. 
2. ^ Sjögren, Bengt (1980). Berömda vidunder. Settern. ISBN 91-7586-023-6.  (Swedish)
3. ^ "More big cats recorded". BBC News. 2002-01-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/1787144.stm. Retrieved 2010-02-09. 
4. ^ "Big Cat evidence gets stronger, as society calls for government study". British Big Cats Society. http://www.britishbigcats.org/news.php. Retrieved 2010-02-09. 
5. ^ {{cite web |title= BBC Northern Ireland report on numerous Pumas in the region |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3145531.stm
6. ^ Eamonn Duff (2003-11-02). "Big cats not a tall tale". The Sun-Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/01/1067597200706.html. Retrieved 2010-02-09. 
7. ^ ^{a b} Bill Atkinson (2003). "Report on information available on the reported large black cat in the Blue Mountains". NSW Agriculture. http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/nsw_gov_report.html. Retrieved 2010-02-09. 
8. ^ Is something out there? (Map of sightings near Sydney.) Sydney Morning Herald.
9. ^ John Henry, "Pumas in the Grampians Mountains: A Compelling Case? An Up-dated Report of the Deakin Puma Study", Deakin University Press, Melbourne, May 2001. Conclusion quoted in Atkinson (2003).[1]
10. ^ "Tantanoola". Wattle Range Council. http://www.wattlerange.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=221. Retrieved 2007-05-31. 
11. ^ "Millicent". Sydney Morning Herald. February 8, 2004. http://www.smh.com.au/news/South-Australia/Millicent/2005/02/17/1108500204422.html. 
12. ^ "Men claim evidence of 'panther like' cat in Qld bush". http://www.abc.net.au Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-01-14. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/14/2466186.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-15. 
13. ^ ^{a b} "Cold water poured on 'big cat' claims". http://www.abc.net.au/ Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-01-14. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/14/2466186.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-15. 
14. ^ ^{a b} "The Beast of Funen". Skepticreport.com. http://skepticreport.com/sr/?p=158. Retrieved 2009-12-20. 
15. ^ (Dutch) Massale belangstelling voor poemajacht ("Massive interest in cougar hunting")
16. ^ (Dutch) 'Poema' Winnie ontmaskerd ("'Puma' Winnie unmasked")
17. ^ ^{a b} 5:00AM Thursday Oct 09, 2003 (2003-10-09). "MAF staff, wildlife experts hunt big black cat in vain". NZ Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3527857. Retrieved 2009-07-28. 
18. ^ "List of sightings in New Zealand". Mysteriousnewzealand.co.nz. http://www.mysteriousnewzealand.co.nz/mysteries_strangeness/animals/bigcats/bigcats_sample.html#sightings_nz. Retrieved 2009-07-28. 
19. ^ Ashburton Guardian: An unsolved mystery
20. ^ Fantastic Feline - Hunting the Big Black Cat, Report by Jendy Harper, Close Up at Seven, Television New Zealand, 3rd May 2005. Transcript.
21. ^ Susan Sandys. Bid to capture black panther, Ashburton Guardian, 8 December 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
22. ^ Mysterious America, by Loren Coleman, Copyright 2001, 2007, published by Pocket Books (a division of Simon & Schuster), Paraview Pocket Books trade paperback edition April 2007, Chapter Three, page 25.
23. ^ Status Report on the Olinda, Maui Mystery Cat, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Hawaii, 2003.
24. ^ Expert thinks big cat is dangerous, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, October 25, 2003. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
25. ^ State suspends hunt for Maui cat, Honolulu Advertiser, November 22, 2003. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
26. ^ For Maui, it was year of the cat, Honolulu Advertiser, November 30, 2003. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
27. ^ [2]
28. ^ Schwarzer Panther auf Bommelscheuer
29. ^ Viel Tamtam um eine schwarze Katze

External links

• Australian Big Cats
• Cryptozoology/Big Cats at the Open Directory Project
• British Big Cats Society