No myth-taking what he saw - it was a big cat!

Weeks after the government declared the Blue Mountains big cat file closed, a Sydney father has spoken of a terrifying encounter with a panther-like creature outside his Riverstone, NSW home.

Peter Russell told NSW Police he feared for his life after being stalked by a large, ''completely foreign'' feline predator at Riverstone, on the fringes of dense national park bushland.

It has been sighted at least 12 times in the Riverstone area in recent years.

On December 5, Mr Russell went to investigate why his neighbour's dogs were acting ''so distressed''.
He said, as he looked along the path that led up the street, a very large, broad, cat-like creature ran straight for him.

''This was definitely no dog,'' he said. ''It had a low rumbling growl. It was between knee and hip height, extremely stocky and very fast. I spun on my heel and ran back towards the house. I didn't know that I was going to make it to the door.

''My mind was completely thrown by what I had just witnessed. I thought I was a goner.''

Mr Russell made it safely inside and called Riverstone police.

''The officer laughed and I acknowledged her reaction was understandable,'' he said. ''But I also explained that if some poor kid ends up being taken, and I hadn't called, I would be left devastated.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/blue-mountains-panther-spotted-again-20131214-2ze1p.html#ixzz2nUgwK3zd

Fresh bid for evidence of Tasmanian Tiger

There is to be another bid to search for evidence that Tasmanian tigers are alive and well.

Representatives from the UK-based Centre for Fortean Zoology will join local searchers venturing into the wilderness of Tasmania's north-west.

The British cryptozoologists have previously tried to find Australia's so-called "big foot", the Yowie.

Expedition member Tony Healy says the team will use a range of equipment.

"[We'll have] a lot of trail cameras, game cameras and we've all got infra-red devices... just spotlighting, looking for tracks," he said.

The group will break into small parties to stake out different areas.

Long-time tiger enthusiast Col Bailey has spent decades trying to find evidence that Tasmanian tigers still exist.

He has reservations about a group of 10 people searching together.

"That's a lot of people to take into the field at the one time because low numbers is essential as far as I'm concerned in this and they also say two weeks they're going to be out," he said.

"Well, two weeks is nearly not enough time, you really need three or four weeks to do this properly."

The centre, founded in 1992, is a not-for-profit group set up to investigate unusual or extinct animals.

The last Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, died in a Hobart zoo in 1933.

The carnivorous marsupial was widely hunted by early settlers trying to protect livestock.

Read more at the ABC: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-30/extinct-or-elusive3f3a-fresh-bid-to-find-tasmania-tiger/5057664

The hunt is on for the Thylacine

The thylacine has officially been put on notice: the hunt is on.

An international team of naturalists from the Centre for Fortean Zoology has arrived in Tasmania for the first in a series of well-resourced and professional expeditions into Tasmania's wilderness to hunt for evidence of the Tasmanian tiger.

Although the animal was officially declared extinct in the 1980s, reports of thylacine sightings are still common and expedition leader Mike Williams from NSW has high hopes that they can find something.

"The problem with a lot of the sightings from members of the public is that they're generally caught by surprise, and their photos are taken on things like mobile phones and aren't very good," he said.

"It will take really good quality video to really convince anyone and preferably a video shot by a person, so we've brought as much gear as we can to improve our chances of being ready if we do see one." Mr Williams is highly regarded in his field and has spent many years searching for evidence of the big cats that are said to roam areas of rural NSW and Victoria.

He is careful not to be too specific about the regions they will investigate in Tasmania, but said they would focus on the state's northwest and southwest.

"We're meeting up with some eyewitnesses to begin with and that will help us narrow down our search areas," he said.

This first expedition of 10 people will run for about two weeks and will be one of eight or nine expeditions over the next two years.

The expedition, sponsored by Toyota, includes British expeditioners Dr Chris Clark and Richard Freeman – who have searched for giant anacondas in Africa and the Indonesian equivalent of Bigfoot on the island of Sumatra – and Hobart-based Dr Hannah Jenkins.

The Centre for Fortean Zoology is based in the UK and Australia and investigates "mystery animals" that are considered rare, extinct or undiscovered, such as the big cats rumoured to live in the Australian bush, and Australia's Bigfoot, the Yowie.

The thylacine has a special place in the international organisation's ethos: it is featured on their emblem.

While in Tasmania the group will also busy itself searching for evidence of feral foxes and identifying healthy devil populations free of the facial tumour disease.

"Let's hope between our resources, those of independent researchers, and the government's, something comes to light," Mr Williams said.

Have you seen a thylacine? The team wants to hear your stories and tip-offs. Call Mike on 0416 303 371

Read more at the Hobart Mercury: http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/international-team-hopes-to-settle-thylacine-mystery-once-and-for-all/story-fnj4f7k1-1226749322972

Victoria backflips on big cat hunt - it's on again!

Just a couple of months after it shelved plans to solve Victoria's 150-year-old big cat mystery, the Victorian Government now wants to put the matter to rest once and for all!

Witness sightings have been recorded for the past 60 years of cougars, panthers or pumas in a wide stretch of Victoria from Gippsland to the Otways, the Grampians, central Victoria and at Beechworth in the northeast.

An official investigation has now been launched in line with a 2010 pre-election pledge from Nationals leader Peter Ryan, who said "there were enough credible observations" to warrant the effort.

Mr Ryan possesses a copy of Australian Big Cats: An Unnatural History of Panthers, and is well aware of the plethora of compelling witness testimony and evidence to date.

Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh said work on the big cat study had already started. Mr Walsh said wild-dog control remained the Government's priority but there were now "sufficient departmental resources available".

"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," Mr Walsh said.

"The study is expected to take several months to complete."

The investigation is known to include staff from the Department of Primary Industries and the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

More Blue Mountains Yowie witnesses

Mike Williams has dug deep into his video archive of yowie witnesses and produced another gem. Thanks Mike! Enjoy...

Doon Doon panther stalks the Kimberley

The ABC's Rural Report has been receiving reports of a 'panther-like' creature roaming the rangelands near Doon Doon in the East Kimberley.

This week the show heard from 'Ben' who says he saw the creature last year, and spoke to the manager of the Doon Doon roadhouse who says truckies have been reporting seeing a big cat near the Dunham River.

Ben saw a large slender black cat slinking through the bush, and later a 17cm paw print, some 150km from Kununurra in the East Kimberley.

Have you seen the Doon Doon panther? Let us know.

The book Savage Shadow: The Hunt for the Australian Cougar recounts the wave of big cat sightings in Western Australia during the 1970s and 1980s.

Following in its tracks is Australian Big Cats: An Unnatural History of Panthers, which documents big cat sightings all over Australia including across Western Australia.

Big cats stalking the bush?

Dr Darren Naish gave Australian Big Cats: An Unnatural History of Panthers a very respectable thumbs-up recently on his very popular Scientific American blog.

He writes in part, in Williams and Lang’s Australian Big Cats: do pumas, giant feral cats and mystery marsupials stalk the Australian outback?:

"A long term interest and involvement in Australian and world mysteries led Michael Williams and Rebecca Lang to research and produce what is now the definitive volume on Australian mystery big cats; it’s titled Australian Big Cats: An Unnatural History of Panthers (Williams & Lang 2010).

"At 434 pages, it’s substantial. It’s also highly readable, nicely formatted and very well illustrated. The authors have collated a vast amount of information gleaned not only from published sources but also from interviews with both eyewitnesses and people who have examined evidence firsthand.

"Williams and Lang clearly travelled widely across the country, photographing locations, people, documents, taxiderm specimens and so on at what must have been great personal expense. They obtained freedom of information acts and other previously undisclosed documents. A lengthy appendix (c. 120 pages) includes copies of numerous letters and documents produced by government officials, veterinarians, ecologists, geneticists and others. The volume is fully referenced (though with the citations given at the bottom of the respective pages, rather than at the end of the text) and with an index.

"So, to anyone seriously interested in mystery animals, mystery big cats or Australian mammals in general, this book is a must-have..."

Read more at http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2012/02/13/williams-and-langs-australian-big-cats/?print=true

Savage Shadow is in print once more

The new edition of the iconic ABC book Savage Shadow: The Search for the Australian Cougar is out now! Another Strange Nation Publishing special - from the folk who brought you Australian Big Cats: An Unnatural History of Panthers - this has to rate as one of the most hotly anticipated cryptozoological publishing events of the past 30 years (in fact, it is three decades since this book was first published).

For decades farmers in the southwest of Australia have been convinced that there are cougars at large in the Australian bush, devastating wildlife and livestock. Hundreds of sightings have been documented in Western Australia, from as far north as Geraldton, south to Esperance and inland to Norseman.

Australian journalist David O'Reilly became fascinated with what is known as perhaps Australia's greatest wildlife mystery during his time as the bureau chief of The Australian's Perth office.

He interviewed scores of witnesses - farmers, wildlife experts, academics and bureaucrats - and wrote many stories about the hunt for the 'Cordering Cougar', as it became known, during the late 1970s and early 1980s. His book Savage Shadow, now back in print for the first time in 30 years, is the culmination of that work.

You can buy the book at most online bookstores, but particularly Fishpond.com.au, Amazon.com and very soon (just working out the kinks) Amazon.co.uk.

Readers and fans of the cult classic will be pleased to know some of the proceeds from sales of the book will be directed to Fighting Chance Australia, a charity set up to provide age-appropriate, choice-driven services to young Australian adults with a physical disability.

So what's the connection?

Fighting Chance Australia was set up by David's widow Sue O'Reilly in his memory, and is run by two of his children, Laura and Jordan. The family's connection to disability advocacy came about through son and sibling Shane O'Reilly, who had cerebral palsy and died earlier this year. As you can see, it is a very special charity indeed, and one very special family, so we urge you to spread the word about their great work and/or donate if you can.

Panther spotted in Lithgow, NSW

The Lithgow Mercury has a story about another local big cat sighting:

"Lithgow's Black Panther has been here today and gone tomorrow leaving little evidence it ever was and those who claim to have seen it in total shock over the years.
The last reported sighting was in early August this year not far from Crane Road.

One long term resident of Lithgow, Marika Vervoorn, has also witnessed the elusive black panther in recent years up near her son’s property at Mt Walker and says people should not be sceptical about reported sightings.

“I travel up that road regularly,” Ms Vervoorn said.

“On one trip about five year ago the panther jumped out about 500 metres in front of my car.

“As it neared my son’s gate it turned allowing me to get a good look at its profile.

“It was definitely all panther in the face, black all over and as big a Rottweiler but heavier.”

Ms Vervoorn got in touch with a black panther researcher, Michael Williams, who told her there had been 600 sightings reported over the years in the area stretching from Jenolan Caves through to the Queensland border.

Mr Williams’ aim was to raise awareness that the black panther or panthers are out there and to report sightings in an attempt to keep track of this very shy over sized kitty on steroids."

New Zealand's big cats on the prowl again...

A 3News television film crew sent to record a weather story in the back blocks of North Canterbury about recent snowfalls got more than they bargained for when they filmed a cat - a BIG cat - running across a snowy paddock.

"That's not a f****** cat - that's huge!" exclaimed one of the witnesses, a television cameraman.

"It was a cat the size of a German Shepherd!"

Pawprints the trio later found in the snow measured 10cm in circumference.

The local zoo Orana Park dismissed the footage as domestic cat - but the witnesses say if that's the case, it's one monster moggy!

The mid-Canterbury area is well known for its big cat sightings and was the setting for Prints of Darkness, a documentary about New Zealand's big cats by New Zealanders Mark Orton and Pip Walls.

The area also featured in Australian Big Cats: An Unnatural History of Panthers by Michael Williams and Rebecca Lang, which includes a chapter about New Zealand's big cats.

You can view the footage here:

http://www.3news.co.nz/Canterburys-big-cat---real-or-myth/tabid/367/articleID/222632/Default.aspx

Australian Big Cats gets Fortean Times tick

The Fortean Times recently reviewed Australian Big Cats: An Unnatural History of Panthers by CFZers and FT writers Michael Williams and Rebecca Lang, and gave it a fantastic 9/10.

"The authors' even-handed, open-minded approach provides ample evidences for the theories they touch upon...this is a first-rate Fortean classic, fastidiously sourced, and essential reading for all students of the ABC phenomenon." - Merrily Harpur

Government still on the 'tail' of big black cats

VIC Govt stays true to big cat investigation promise

BIG cat researchers have welcomed the State Government's confirmation of a probe into sightings of the elusive creatures in the Otways.

State Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh has confirmed the Government's pre-election pledge for an investigation, saying there had been numerous unconfirmed sightings over the past decade.

Nationals Leader Peter Ryan made the big cats an election issue, promising to resolve the issue one way or another after continued reports of sightings.

The previous Labor Government refused such a probe, and Labor's environment minister Gavin Jennings said instead of searching for "non-existent big cats," the Nationals "should be out there searching for some real policies that protect the environment".

Mr Walsh said the State Government had committed to a "limited investigation" to determine once and for all whether there was any truth behind the sightings. Local big cat researcher Simon Townsend (pictured above), who has been investigating sightings in the eastern Otways for more than a decade, welcomed the probe, saying both he and colleague John Turner would be happy to help with any investigation.

Mr Townsend has visited dozens of Otways property owners who've described sightings and shown him photos of slain livestock that he said appeared to have been slain by large unidentified predators.

"We take this issue quite seriously," he said.

"We're not saying the animals are there, we're saying there's circumstances that suggest they are, and there's an awful lot of eye witnesses who need to be respected.

"If the Government's being proactive, they really need to be asking and involving people with some involvement in the issue."

Geelong Advertiser nature writer Trevor Pescott yesterday cast doubt on the probe.

"You can't prove that something doesn't exist, and that's what will come out of this," he said.

Mr Pescott said people had told him about big cat sightings, but he had never seen anything himself and while there were still continuing reports, no solid evidence had been produced.

"I'm still a bit dubious, although I'm not a person to say yes or no because sometimes unusual things turn up," he said.

Last month, an Anglesea woman Melva Stott wrote of seeing what she thought was a puma, but the animal appeared to be a black wallaby.

However Ms Stott said she had seen two pumas in different locations around Anglesea.

CFZers on Australia's A Current Affair TV show

An interview with CFZers Mike Williams and Rebecca Lang about their Australian Big Cats: An Unnatural History of Panthers book aired on Australian telly this week.

Click on the image to visit the A Current Affair website and watch the video:

Big cats make the 'wacky news' for 2010

JULY 28
The grainy photo on the front page was thought to be that of the Territory Tiger. It was taken from footage filmed in the 1990s by Territorian Jan Donovan. Author Rebecca Lang said the large, sandy cat appeared to be of "considerable size", and could be the descendant of escaped circus cats. Ms Lang and co-author Mike Williams spent five years compiling their book Australian Big Cats: An Unnatural History of Panthers.

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2011/01/06/205245_ntnews.html

Bambra big cat sighting

 

Chilean tourist Romina Bucarey was under the mistaken impression that 'big cats' must have been native to Australia after one sauntered across her path recently in Victoria.
She casually asked workmates at the Hare Krishna Valley farm about the resident wild panthers and was surprised by the response.

Ms Bucarey, 33, was walking by herself along a track about a kilometre from the farm, off Winchelsea-Deans Marsh Rd, at the weekend when she saw a big cat about 100m in front of her.

"It was very clear, about 6.30pm, she was walking fast," she said. "It was completely black, and shiny ... like normal size for being a panther. My reaction was I didn't continue to walk because I didn't know if she can attack me."

Readers of Australian Big Cats: An Unnatural History of Panthers will remember the Winchelsea area as the location where some suspected big cat faeces was collected and analysed by a government department and deemed 'possibly leopard'!

Australian Big Cats makes top 5, 10, 20!

Australian Big Cats: An Unnatural History of Panthers has made the Cryptomundo Top 20 Cryptozoology books of the year list as the best Cryptic Felid Book of the Year!

The list is an annual who's who of cryptozoology, and to be rated #4 is a noteworthy feat.

The authors (contributors to this blog, pictured above with witness Shane Foreman) would like to thank everyone who has bought and reviewed the book so far.

Keep your eyes peeled for their next project in 2011!

Black panther case one for the book!

The following sighting is featured in Australian Big Cats: An Unnatural History of Panthers, and is one of the more puzzling and thought-provoking of the hundreds authors Rebecca Lang and Michael Williams have examined.

The anonymous Daisy Hill farmer was alarmed to come face-to-face with an animal he'd never seen before as he checked on his cattle one afternoon. The above picture was all that remained of one of his calves after several hours!

"I was driving up a track (if you could call it that) through the bush on our property looking for this missing cow in driving rain, the Blue Heeler dog was leading the way as usual about thirty feet in front of the car when all of a sudden he took off through the bush to my right, the rain had eased right off so I wound down the window to see where he'd gone, before I could even whistle he was jumping in the window of the car yelping and whining. 

"I jumped out and saw the mother cow lying on her side about 30-40m in through the trees as I slammed the door shut I turned and saw it, a bloody huge cat sitting behind the cow. It stood up, glared at me for what was probably about 3-4 seconds and without a sound it took off through the bush. It was dark grey like a wet 'roo (Kangaroo) but with some ginger in it, had a broad head, short legs large shoulders, a long body and a long thick tail. I reckon its body was probably about 4.5 foot long and about 2-2.5 feet tall.

"After collecting myself, still shaking and hair still on end I slowly approached the cow which I could see was barely breathing I noticed her dead calf about 2m from her. The cow had a broken front leg, twisted hip and pinched nerve in her back was in a terribly distressed state.

"The spooky thing is there was a total absence of any blood or other tissue around the site of the kill and the calf was missing a leg which was cleanly removed from the ball joint without breakage, its jaw was broken, tongue missing, neck and back broken and approx half of the calfs' hide was also missing. Not to mention its torso was opened up and virtually licked clean.

"As a keen wildlife photographer and hunter I am fairly adept at tracking animals however I was unable to find any fresh tracks in the area. No dog or fox prints, no 'roos and definitely no cats prints.

"I have found several dead 'roos killed in a similar manner in both deep gullies and open ground on the property, one was even decapitated. These were large Kangaroos capable of high speeds and once again the necks and jaws were broken, torso opened up and licked clean and no signs of blood or the usual mess associated with a dog attack or fox kill.

"Now I've spent a lot of time in the bush and have seen all kinds of weird animals in places they weren't supposed to be but I have never seen anything like this cat. Unlike all the stories I've been hearing from local farmers and other nut-jobs this was not a so-called 'Black Panther' nor do I believe it was a Mountain Lion it was like some kind of bizarre hybrid. Judging by the length of the tail it couldn't be a typical 'feral tabby' either from the brief glimpse I got it seemed to have some marsupial like attributes.

"All I do know about this thing is Parks Victoria and the DPI don't want to know about it."

Panther stalks Blue Mountains

Panther-like big cats here in the Blue Mountains? Surely not! Yet a string of people over the years insist they've seen or heard one.

Digging into their stories proved intriguing for writer/photographer Michael Williams and journalist Rebecca Lang, who recently published their book Australian Big Cats – An Unnatural History of Panthers.

They report that big cat sightings are a problem in many rural areas around Australia with substantial stock losses in some; they describe their book as "a meaty compendium of sightings, killing sprees, narrow escapes, myths and mysteries that have come to form an intriguing chapter of Australian folklore."

http://www.bloogle.com.au/whistler/panther.php

Panther story resurfaces in new book - South Coast Register, July 21, 2010

Panther story resurfaces in new book
by Frances Rand
South Coast Register
July 21, 2010

FOR over a hundred years big cats have stalked Kangaroo Valley.

They scare people, kill stock and leave big paw prints.

However, when it comes to being photographed, they are very shy.

A new book, Australian Big Cats – An Unnatural History of Panthers, looks into the phenomena of panther sightings.

The authors, researcher Michael Williams and journalist Rebecca Lang, have collected stories about big cat sightings for over a decade.

They theorise that the cats could be the descendants of escaped zoo animals or World War II American military mascots. They could also be mutant monstrous moggies or perhaps marsupial lions never died out.

Various scat and fur samples sent off for analysis have come back as felis catus – domestic cat. The authors weren’t impressed and decided to test the experts with some genuine leopard fur. The result – felis catus – proved science could fail.

Other experts have taken panther sightings seriously and various government departments, including the NSW Department of Primary Industries, have compiled reports. They concluded that more evidence needed to be collected.

Former Kangaroo Valley resident Doris Blinman was responsible for reporting panther sightings in the early 1980s.

During the period her yard was visited up to three times a week by one or two huge black cats for a period of a few months.

According to Mrs Blinman, the cats came both at night and in daylight and delighted in eating the fruit from her grapevine as well as eating local wildlife, including a fruit bat.

Ms Lang said there were some interesting aspects to Mrs Blinman’s story, including a “smell of sulphur” associated with the sightings.

Another local, Clarry Hansen, also sighted big cats and paw prints with a 13 to 14cm diameter.

In 1981 the two shared their stories with a Channel 9 news crew.

“It’s a reasonably well-forested area, with plentiful food sources and also being well populated could account for more people seeing panthers,” said Ms Lang.

The last local panther sighting may have been the last forever.

On New Year’s Eve 2008, a local resident reported driving past a “deceased large feline” on the side of Forest Road.

A Sydney man also saw the deceased animal by the side of the road on the same day.

In a hurry he did not stop, but returned the next day where he could find no trace of the feline.

http://www.southcoastregister.com.au/news/local/news/general/panther-story-resurfaces-in-a-new-book/1890860.aspx