Panthers / Big Cats - Seen any?
Discussion
I have once, and my Mum has once.
1) We were driving down the M62 near the M18 junction. She saw a herd of cattle running oddly. Behind them was something large, with it's head down going for them.
2) I was 16/17, walking down a very deserted path near us. There's various walkways down there and the Hull - Selby railway line goes through it. I was walking through some long grass (near BAE, Brough towards Welton Waters, if anyone knows it) and there was a (very) large animal, head down & ears back, stalking the railway line. Had very muscular / defined shoulders. Definitely (And far too big) to be a dog.
Anyone else seen 'em?
1) We were driving down the M62 near the M18 junction. She saw a herd of cattle running oddly. Behind them was something large, with it's head down going for them.
2) I was 16/17, walking down a very deserted path near us. There's various walkways down there and the Hull - Selby railway line goes through it. I was walking through some long grass (near BAE, Brough towards Welton Waters, if anyone knows it) and there was a (very) large animal, head down & ears back, stalking the railway line. Had very muscular / defined shoulders. Definitely (And far too big) to be a dog.
Anyone else seen 'em?
Not personally, however i know a few that have.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/southerncounties/content/arti...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/southerncounties/content/arti...
Theres supposed to be one in wharncliffe woods near sheffield (big mountain bike spot) but i've never seen one.
My interesting things that arent ferrari's list i've seen in the last few years is as follows, Saw a slow worm near scarbrough last year though and a meteorite burning up over ferrybridge powerstation a couple of years ago (yourube it, loads of green/red burning up in the sky)
No big csts in england though. Living in canada at the moment, see loads of black bears and theres a big mountain lion problem here.
My interesting things that arent ferrari's list i've seen in the last few years is as follows, Saw a slow worm near scarbrough last year though and a meteorite burning up over ferrybridge powerstation a couple of years ago (yourube it, loads of green/red burning up in the sky)
No big csts in england though. Living in canada at the moment, see loads of black bears and theres a big mountain lion problem here.
Ooooo this is one of my big interests! Fascinated by the possibility of them being out there. I was once with my dad driving down a deserted country lane, with open fields either side of it. I saw what I thought was a dog, with what I thought were its owner's reflective trainers next to it. I quickly realised that the reflecting objects were infact eyes and it was all one creature. It ran off into the field, and I told my dad to turn the car with full beam on, so we could get a better view. However, in the space of a few seconds, it was a good 70 metres into the field, and I couldnt get a proper look at it (it may have been snowing, this is a few years ago). It may have been a badger for all I know, but it seemed darker than a badger, almost shadow like.
No but someone I know I used to go over their house, whilst she was getting ready to go out, I feel asleep on her bed, I woke up with this immense pressure on my chest, first thought, cancer. It was actually her cat, Tyson, fat son of a b
h, proper Garfield big mother fker but not as stupid as Garfield, and had no affiliation with Bill Murray.
Although I would love a pet Lynx one day when I can afford to feed and keep one , love big cats
h, proper Garfield big mother fker but not as stupid as Garfield, and had no affiliation with Bill Murray.Although I would love a pet Lynx one day when I can afford to feed and keep one , love big cats
pits said:
No but someone I know I used to go over their house, whilst she was getting ready to go out, I feel asleep on her bed, I woke up with this immense pressure on my chest, first thought, cancer. It was actually her cat, Tyson, fat son of a bh, proper Garfield big mother fker but not as stupid as Garfield, and had no affiliation with Bill Murray.
Although I would love a pet Lynx one day when I can afford to feed and keep one , love big cats
Lynx not so bad, they're tacklable if they get out of hand, same with cheetahs. But anything bigger and you'll be lucky to escape with your life should it get nasty.h, proper Garfield big mother fker but not as stupid as Garfield, and had no affiliation with Bill Murray.Although I would love a pet Lynx one day when I can afford to feed and keep one , love big cats
As an aside, what would you do if you should encounter a big cat whilst out in the countryside, and it fancied you for its dinner? I've often asked myself this question (I live about 15 miles from Hovingham, where there were TONS of sightings). Running won't work, it'll out run you easily. I've decided I'd either completely pap myself and be unable to move, and thus eaten, or try to batter it. What would you do?
I love this subject too, and would love to believe they're out there. It's feasible too, what with the change in law years back, where apparently some were set loose rather than being properly registered.
The flip-side of the coin is that there's not been a single piece of conclusive evidence. No bodies, irrefutable photographs, footage, etc.
Who knows.. my heart says yes, but my mind says.. hmm, unlikely. I'd still love to think they're out there though. Magnificent creatures!
The flip-side of the coin is that there's not been a single piece of conclusive evidence. No bodies, irrefutable photographs, footage, etc.
Who knows.. my heart says yes, but my mind says.. hmm, unlikely. I'd still love to think they're out there though. Magnificent creatures!
TVR653X said:
pits said:
No but someone I know I used to go over their house, whilst she was getting ready to go out, I feel asleep on her bed, I woke up with this immense pressure on my chest, first thought, cancer. It was actually her cat, Tyson, fat son of a bh, proper Garfield big mother fker but not as stupid as Garfield, and had no affiliation with Bill Murray.
Although I would love a pet Lynx one day when I can afford to feed and keep one , love big cats
Lynx not so bad, they're tacklable if they get out of hand, same with cheetahs. But anything bigger and you'll be lucky to escape with your life should it get nasty.h, proper Garfield big mother fker but not as stupid as Garfield, and had no affiliation with Bill Murray.Although I would love a pet Lynx one day when I can afford to feed and keep one , love big cats
As an aside, what would you do if you should encounter a big cat whilst out in the countryside, and it fancied you for its dinner? I've often asked myself this question (I live about 15 miles from Hovingham, where there were TONS of sightings). Running won't work, it'll out run you easily. I've decided I'd either completely pap myself and be unable to move, and thus eaten, or try to batter it. What would you do?
Lynx are awesome not that big, I love the ears, but I would want to have the money to feed it and keep it in prime condition and health, sadly at the moment I don't think I could otherwise I would have a lynx right now.
erdnase said:
I love this subject too, and would love to believe they're out there. It's feasible too, what with the change in law years back, where apparently some were set loose rather than being properly registered.
The flip-side of the coin is that there's not been a single piece of conclusive evidence. No bodies, irrefutable photographs, footage, etc.
Plus the fact that without breeding they'd have died out by now, probably.The flip-side of the coin is that there's not been a single piece of conclusive evidence. No bodies, irrefutable photographs, footage, etc.
Thos law changes were early 90s if not late 80s.
What are the odds of breeding pairs of released exotic pets?
Pretty low I'd wager.
qube_TA said:
My cat looks quite big if you're up close.
Like the opposite of this?Father Ted - Small, far away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmU_q5xrnto
We've seen Wildcats that just stand in the road and watch you pass. Wolves and Golden Jackals howl and yelp most nights, and raid the buckets in the village when it's really cold. There was a bear cub killed on the road in December, and last week the local hunt came back with a wild boar carcase that filled the back of a Land Rover pickup.
whitechief said:
Not discounting the possibility of them, but why are there no indisputable pictures or videos of them, and why hasn't some farmer shot one, or found a dead one on their land?
Despite no longer having a survival or selection pressure to be so, even the domestic cat is a stealthy bugger. If you think about it, domestic cats catch animals like birds and mice on a daily basis. Few other animals are able to hunt so discreetly. Wild cats rely on not being seen for their very survival and a cat will likely know you're there, before you know it's there. If they don't want to be seen, you probably won't see them.Say there's hypothetically a few hundred/thousand big cats out there in the countryside. It's not exactly surprising that there's no absolute proof of their existence. The UK has a perfect environment for big cat survival. Plenty of prey (rabbits, pheasant, birds, deer, etc) and yet there's no real predators. I've absolutely no doubt there's a fair few out there, and suspect definitive proof will emerge at some point.
Disco_Dale said:
What are the odds of breeding pairs of released exotic pets?
Pretty low I'd wager.
I believe that after the law change, in order to keep such a pet, you had to be licenced and demonstrate competence and proper accommodation for the animal. Pretty low I'd wager.
I suspect many people couldn't prove competence or suitable accommodation, and so just released the animals. I also bet many people didn't bother with licences and continued to breed and keep big cats illegally. People probably bought a couple as they were 'cute' and then realised that keeping a Lynx is actually a fair bit of work. Rather than turn them in to animal sanctuaries and risk prosecution for having them illegally in the first place, I imagine they simply set them loose.
I don't think release of breeding pairs would be all that unlikely. Plus, animals think nothing of inbreeding. Cheetahs show remarkably little genetic variation and yet they survive...for now. It took around 50 years from sightings of the 'King Cheetah' to actually getting a photo of one...now you see why it might be tough to get definitive proof of UK big cats!
Edited by wiffmaster on Thursday 14th January 05:42
Yes. A lynx around 4 years ago. I watched it walk across a path and into woods about 60 yards infront of me. My dog stood and went into "point" mode and i was worried he was going to take off after it.
When i told people i wasn't believed but came across a few local newspaper articles and apparently there has been several sightings over the years.
When i told people i wasn't believed but came across a few local newspaper articles and apparently there has been several sightings over the years.
Edited by M001 on Thursday 14th January 06:32
Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff