The Phantom Cats of the South

If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise… which may come in the form of a giant cat!

At least that’s said to be the case if you go into the woods in South Australia or Victoria, where over the past century there have been hundreds of reported sightings of ‘panther-like’ big cats and taking of livestock.

While there are reports of big cat sightings across Australia, the phenomenon seems to be most concentrated in the southern areas of the country, and while the various governments remain non-committal or even sceptical, there is a growing movement of people who believe without a doubt in the existence of an Australian big cat species.

While there is yet to be a specimen captured, reports of sightings usually point to the same physical traits, backed up by the occasional photograph: a large creature, slightly bigger than a large Alsatian or Rottweiler, that is black or mottled in colour and extremely sleek, muscled and fast.

Simon Townsend and John Turner are two men who have made it their mission to obtain irrefutable evidence of the existence of these large cats, specifically in their native Victoria. They established a website (www.bigcatsvic.com.au) and use up most of their spare time collecting reports of sightings and documenting attacks on livestock. Perhaps most compelling are their photos of mauled carcasses with bite-marks compared to puma dentitions.

Theories abound

There are several theories as to how big cats may have come to live on Australian shores: the ‘marsupial lion’ that never really became extinct; zoo or circus escapees left behind; even that the lions that served as military mascots of the US army were  never taken back to the States after they were stationed here during the WWII.

These theories, along with a lot of sightings, pictures and interviews are included in a book being released next week called Australian Big Cats: An Unnatural History of Panthers. Written by Michael Williams and Rebecca Lang, the book is available at www.australianbigcats.com.au.

Recently, Victorian Nationals leader Peter Ryan reaffirmed his party’s 2006 promise to further investigate reports of big cats in Victoria: ‘I am a sceptic, as are many others, but there is a body of commentary and evidence around to say there is a prospect these things exist and I think we should resolve it one way or another,’ Mr Ryan said.

For now, the mystery remains, but perhaps one day soon we’ll have a definitive answer as to whether or not Australia’s moggies have an older, more sinister relative lurking in the bush…

Images from allbestwallpapers.com and Wikipedia