Night Parrot stories collected for documentary

Ecologist Julian Reid and filmmaker Rob Nugent from the Australian National University are travelling Outback Australia in search of evidence of the elusive Night Parrot for their documentary.

Only a handful of sightings have been recorded in the last century.

"I like the mystery of the bird, how it lives only an inferred existence," Rob Nugent recently told ABC Radio.

"It's story also speaks to extinctions, the idea that this animal may or may not exist, and we live in an age when loss is accepted."

In 2012 the night parrot was declared one of the world's five most mysterious birds by the Smithsonian Institute in the United States.

The last specimen to be handed in, a decapitated bird, was found in 2006 by a grader driver in the Diamantina Lakes National Park.

You can read about their trip and share your own stories on their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/NightParrotStories

OOPA: Cuscus a long way from home

A mysterious spotted creature dropped off at a zoo in China is actually a type of possum most likely smuggled into the country as a novelty pet.

Keepers at Wenling Zoo in south-eastern China were baffled by the bug-eyed, long-tailed critter, after it was handed in by an unknown man last week.

But not long after the zoo was contacted by Danny Li, an animal enthusiast who lives in Hong Kong, who told them it was a spotted cuscus — a marsupial native to northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia's Maluku Islands.

Mystery animal puzzles Diamond Valley residents

A strange-looking animal spotted slinking around the Research area in Victoria has left residents scratching their heads.

Some have likened the large-eared creature to a hyena or thylacine - had the Tasmanian Tiger made a miraculous return from extinction?

On August 14 teenager Danielle Barker solved the mystery, snapping a fuzzy image of the shy four-legged creature as it passed through her backyard.

Sadly, it was of course nothing more than a mangy fox.

Mystery beast sighted in Hunter Valley, NSW

This report lobbed at the CFZ this week...

Myself and my friend were in Wollombi , NSW this weekend and whilst travelling back to Wild Edge Retreat in our Four wheel drive ,a very strange creature bolted across the road right in front of us.

We were on full beam and had a very unobstructed clear view of the creature.
It was at least three quarters the frontal length of the car plus tail and was moving at a tremendous speed as it managed to escape hitting the car from a distance of less than five metres. Quite some feat as we were travelling at 40 kph.

Such was the strange appearance of this creature that both of us immediately went..."what the ##@!*was that".

It certainly was not a cat as it had a dog like muzzle and i saw its teeth. It also had large erect pointy ears and a very, very long straight back. It was way to big to be either a large version of either. Its pelt was dark brown and black with a smattering of tan.
It had a very long tail.

It was rather low to the ground, almost in a skulking pose, but moved at great speed from the movement of its short stocky legs.

It was way to big to be a dog. It did not in any way resemble a cat. Nor did it move like either...but scuttled at great speed on all fours with tremendous acceleration. It certainly was not a cougar.

It was also very slender and one could tell, even from seeing it from one side, that it lacked any sort of girth. But from the way it powered past it obviously had great strength even in its slender frame.

It really did make a distinct impression on us. So I thought I'd write.
I have seen many animals in my time travels to Africa and all over the world...but this was truly something different.

If I was to describe it in any way for someone to visualize it would be like a starving wolf crossed with the physical facial characteristics of a hyena....but with the power and speed of a whippet and the size of something way larger and much more aquiline.
Very strange indeed.

We had not been drinking and I am only writing because I believe it should be reported and I don't know who to. Anyhow that is our experience.
And we both saw it.
Thank you.
J+K