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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Black Diamond on August 25, 2012, 11:59:36 PM

Title: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Black Diamond on August 25, 2012, 11:59:36 PM: (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R-NY4e5JjSA/TVT0wQC5RBI/AAAAAAAAAj0/nuUAsxfh5yM/s1600/mad-black-leopard.jpg)
With new sightings of these Big Black Puma like cats that destroy crops, livestock and animals the hunt is on.
http://m.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/hunt-for-big-cats-including-cougars-panthers-or-pumas-in-victoria-begins-after-decades-of-reported-sightings/story-e6frf7kx-1226455280709 (http://m.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/hunt-for-big-cats-including-cougars-panthers-or-pumas-in-victoria-begins-after-decades-of-reported-sightings/story-e6frf7kx-1226455280709)

Growing up in Gippsland Vic I always heard stories of sightings but never came across one myself. Probably the most convincing story for me was a few mates sighting one just out of Sale. Whatever they are they seem to be quiet elusive and I reckon it would a pretty nervous moment running into one whilst camping or touring, and some of the regular sighting spots are quiet popular. Probably a good reason to pack a gun :D

Any swaggers out there spotted one in their travels or know anyone who has? Would love to hear about it. Wouldn't like one jumping on me while in the swag ;D

:cheers: BD
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: GGV8Cruza on August 26, 2012, 12:04:55 AM: I have had one run in with something along these lines and it was up in Yeoval on a friends property. Big, black, low to the ground and very fast, still sends shivers down my spine.

GG
Title: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: @fnq4now on August 26, 2012, 06:02:29 AM: I have video footage I took of 1 in The Grampians about 12 years ago. It was stalking some roo's. As it was so long ago, and with an old video camera fully zoomed in, the footage is very average. You get the general idea though.
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: fuji on August 26, 2012, 06:07:56 AM: Yep it was probably a big black feral cat, have you seen the size of those things? Theyre huge!!! I would hate to come across a feral cal let alone a panther.
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: D4D on August 26, 2012, 07:16:05 AM: I've seen one in Narby, like wyno suggested it was probably a feral cat but the mystery of the panther is out there.
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: flamingo on August 26, 2012, 07:53:12 AM: Ive been out the back of Eildon for 40 yrs ive seen a couple of big ferral cats! Dunno bout panthers tho, Who knows they might be there, Good how the Govt found money to look for them but cant find money to open up all of the new Childrens hospital!! :cheers: Phil
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: fishfinder on August 26, 2012, 08:42:31 AM: I am sure I saw a panther taking down a zebra just out of Pakenham in the 70's but my mate said it was more likely a wild dog
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Bird on August 26, 2012, 09:37:19 AM: Quote from: flamingo
Good how the Govt found money to look for them but cant find money to open up all of the new Childrens hospital!! :cheers: Phil
x billiontrillonteen's.....
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: dazzler on August 26, 2012, 11:06:06 AM: Quote from: Black Diamond on August 25, 2012, 11:59:36 PM
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R-NY4e5JjSA/TVT0wQC5RBI/AAAAAAAAAj0/nuUAsxfh5yM/s1600/mad-black-leopard.jpg)

Here Puss Puss Puss. Nice Puss.
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: nuthermug on August 26, 2012, 11:17:24 AM: I thought I seen one but it turned out to be a cow
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: DiverBob on August 26, 2012, 01:28:36 PM: Back in the mid 80's, my unit was sent to assist with the bush fires in central Vic....

I'm not saying what we saw was a panther or a puma, but it was definitely a bloody big cat.

Because I wasn't alone, I had plenty of people to discuss it with, and kick around possible explanations. Further, all but one of us was a soldier, the other was CFA, so we were all trained to spot things out bush (shape, shine, shadow, sound, spacing, movement).

Backlighting makes things look black, and so can soot from fires, so color is arguably indeterminate, but felines move differently from canines (bovines, porcines, equines, etc) and what we all saw was definitely feline by absolute consensus.

Size was the only point of contention. Because range is normally estimated as a function of known height of a seen object (man = 2m, thus if man appears to be x tall, then man is y distant), range estimates varied based on what people thought they were seeing. Even so, the smallest estimate of the animal's size was about the size of a Labrador. Most of us put it's overall length at about 2m.

Keep in mind, we spend a lot of time out bush, and we see a lot of ferral exotics, and even the most skeptical of us acknowledged he'd seen the largest ferral cat he'd ever seen....
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Wodewick on August 26, 2012, 01:37:10 PM: Nearly 40 years ago my cousin and I spotted what we still believe to this day was a panther in the crater of Mt. Franklin. Mt. Franklin these days is quite a nice camp site but in those days it was pretty rough and only used as a fire lookout. I grew up in Daylesford and we used to go up to the top at night to gather and have a few drinks. It was about 11pm and we came around a sharp bend leading up to the fire tower, we caught it really clearly in the car headlights as it froze in the middle of the track for a couple of seconds. It was a lot bigger than any feral cat I've seen and seemed to be about the height of a labrador [ but not as fat ]. We had lots of trips out there at night after that looking for it, but never saw it again and hense we also stopped camping out there. Rod.
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Wodewick on August 26, 2012, 01:48:35 PM: Interesting to note that Diver Bob and myself both used a labrador as a size comparison. I hadnt seen Bobs post until after I submitted mine. Rod.
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Paul Mac on August 26, 2012, 02:08:12 PM: Reminds me of an old saying I once heard......................

Man who dwinks too much see's too much :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Ricklanga on August 26, 2012, 02:30:54 PM: Quote
I am sure I saw a panther taking down a zebra just out of Pakenham in the 70's but my mate said it was more likely a wild dog

Or possibly the Wild Turkey :laugh:

--
Richard.
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: xcvator on August 26, 2012, 02:43:23 PM: (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R-NY4e5JjSA/TVT0wQC5RBI/AAAAAAAAAj0/nuUAsxfh5yM/s1600/mad-black-leopard.jpg)

That's not Kit-e on a bad day is it ? :angel:
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Snow on August 26, 2012, 05:32:48 PM: Mrs Snow and I had a very large black cat cross in front of us in the Abercrombie River NP about 2yr back. It was going flat out and it was using big loping strides and was the about size of medium sized dog. I shot one about this size out the back of Wyangla dam about 10 yrs back and we nailed a black one the same size about 5 yr before that. We measured that one at 5 ft from nose to tail tip. Didn't bother reporting it though. They are just great big mongrel cats is all.
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Kit_e_kat9 on August 26, 2012, 10:17:16 PM: Quote from: dazzler on August 26, 2012, 11:06:06 AM
Here Puss Puss Puss. Nice Puss.

One Kit_e coming in from the wild as beconned. ;D Just remember to get me here quicker, you must bang on the side of a tin can with a spoon ... and keep in mind all branded tins make a different sound. Works for most kats. ;D

Quote from: xcvator on August 26, 2012, 02:43:23 PM
That's not Kit-e on a bad day is it ? :angel:

xcvator ... I'm actually a ~~Lyons~~ Lion ... so bigger, meaner, hairier (is that possible?), smarter (Really? Victoria?? ??? ;D ) and hungrier ... and I usually bring my sisters with me. ;D LOL!

I actually checked out the footage on that link and I have to say ... Domestic/Feral Kat ... the ears are too large and the legs too short to be a Puma / Panther IMO. Bit hard to tell though as they couldn't keep the camera still, in focus or actually on the "kat" in question. The one on the stump was way too small to be anything but your average everyday household Pussy. Some feral kats do become quite large ... about the size of a Maine Coon Kat (8 - 10kg or double the size of a regular moggie for those who don't know).

Kit_e
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Jeepers Creepers on August 27, 2012, 05:26:03 AM: That's nothing......

A dingo was spotted on the weekend in a toilet block at Happy Valley.
He'd managed to lift the lid on a drop toilet and was seen licking the insides of the drop pipe.

Rangers believe, that the incident appears to an isolated case. as they believe it was the same dingo that had bitten the drunk German tourist several times a month ago and was still trying to get the taste of a dropkick out of his mouth.

Honest..... :angel:
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: xcvator on August 27, 2012, 08:22:55 AM: Quote from: Jeepers Creepers on August 27, 2012, 05:26:03 AM
That's nothing......

A dingo was spotted on the weekend in a toilet block at Happy Valley.
He'd managed to lift the lid on a drop toilet and was seen licking the insides of the drop pipe.

Rangers believe, that the incident appears to an isolated case. as they believe it was the same dingo that had bitten the drunk German tourist several times a month ago and was still trying to get the taste of a dropkick out of his mouth.

Honest..... :angel:
Luv it that's gold :cup: :cup: :cup: :cup: :cup:
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: bobnrob on August 27, 2012, 03:01:00 PM: Quote from: Jeepers Creepers on August 27, 2012, 05:26:03 AM
That's nothing......

A dingo was spotted on the weekend in a toilet block at Happy Valley.
He'd managed to lift the lid on a drop toilet and was seen licking the insides of the drop pipe.

Rangers believe, that the incident appears to an isolated case. as they believe it was the same dingo that had bitten the drunk German tourist several times a month ago and was still trying to get the taste of a dropkick out of his mouth.

Honest..... :angel:

>:D :cup:

Mate of mine reckons he'd had to run off the road out behind us cause a big hairy bloke ran across the track in front of him.
Maybe that bloke has now moved to Vic, & it's his pet cat that was spotted!!!
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: _Gecko_ on August 27, 2012, 06:43:59 PM: I have been out shooting feral cats so i know what they are like, but i have seen a large black thing that wasnt a cat out near Jinidvick VIC.
I did alot of study to find out what it was or where it came from.
The US army came over during the war and took along a mascot for thier teams.
Ramnging from puma's to panthers and such.
But when they got here a few of the teams got in trouble for bringing them over, so they warned the rest and the other teams dumped thier mascots in the bush so they would not be in trouble.
I feel somewhere there could be real BIG cats in our land as they were in every state of Aust.
Gecko
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: xcvator on August 27, 2012, 08:30:44 PM: and the urban myths go on and on and on and on...................
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: DiverBob on August 27, 2012, 08:47:23 PM: I've heard the US military mascot explanation a few times, particularly from military people.

What is now Victoria Park in Ballarat was a large US base during the 1939-45 war. Common wisdom has this base as the source of the mascot that was turned loose or escaped. It is also located in the geographical centre of the most common soghtings. However, it doesn't explain 70 years of sightings of an animal that only lives 10-15 years.

I have trouble believing that a puma bred with a ferral cat, so for this to be the source, either the unit turned loose a breeding pair, or two units had the same species of mascot of different sexes and they were both turned loose and they met up... What are the chances of that?

Now, assuming there was a breeding pair of pumas in the wild, they've been inbreeding for 70 years... With a new generation every five years, that's 14 generations of inbreeding to date. They'd be pretty messed up mutants, and no longer be recognizable as black pumas, even if they were still fertile.
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Hosko on August 28, 2012, 07:27:04 AM: Geez, this is still going on?

I remember living in Lancefield as a kid growing up in the 80's there was a lot going on about the Panther.

One of the Dad's even took out his wing mirror of his Ute out back of Mt William after claiming to have seen one in it!! Shot it off!

Lived in Lancefield and between there and Kilmore, never saw a thing as a kid. All just stories.

My question would be how long if the yanks left them here, would they have lived for? Surely their are not two or more of the big cats floating around so they probably would have died off a while ago by now. Sounds more like a large feral cat than a Puma or Panther if there was anything.
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: bobnrob on August 28, 2012, 09:31:38 AM: Quote from: DiverBob on August 27, 2012, 08:47:23 PM

Now, assuming there was a breeding pair of pumas in the wild, they've been inbreeding for 70 years... With a new generation every five years, that's 14 generations of inbreeding to date. They'd be pretty messed up mutants, and no longer be recognizable as black pumas, even if they were still fertile.

In-breed ya say? Messed up Mutants?...

Hmmm, seems I have a vague recollection of a similar story...something about only 1 of each sex in existence - living in a magical forest, & something about an apple & a snake!!! >:D
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: DiverBob on August 28, 2012, 09:54:06 AM: I've just been doing some reading on pumas.... Seems a female starts breeding at 3yo, and will have a litter every year ... Normally two or three, but possibly as many as five... That's a lot of puma kittens for that first breeding pair, and the subsequent generations.

Perhaps inbreeding isn't as big an issue as I first assumed....

According to the boffins, every dingo in Aus is descended from a single litter of puppies brought to Aus from Indonesia.... Allegedly, they are all inbred Asian Yellow Dogs.

If dingoes are a distinctive native species now, how long before our inbred pumas are a distinctive native species?
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: graham on August 28, 2012, 07:17:43 PM: G,day BD ,I was one of those who probably sat on the fence about these critters,till i seen a ,let's call it a cat . I was going down the track to get some firewood with the two kids in the car,I rounded a bend to see a lab on the track heading away from me, and I thought that someone was walking their dog,so i slowed down a bit,it then shot up the embankment into the scrub. Now I can tell you that,as a owner/operator of a black lab, the size is very similar to mine,and he is of a slight build(you have seen him John) ,it was the tail as it shot off the track it would have to be two thirds of its body. Mind you this all happened in the space of two -three seconds . I have also shot a few feral cats and dogs in my time. But back to the original question 6 months ago ,did not really believe in the stories ,now as they say seeing is believing
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: xcvator on August 28, 2012, 09:24:36 PM: Geeze I'd hate to have some of you guys on a jury. All this, I thought I saw ,it might have been, here's a very fuzzy picture or a video where it's impossible to actually identify the animal but it must be a panther/cougar/jaguar.and if this story/myth gets spread around by enough people for long enough it must be "true".(http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-confused013.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)
These stories have been going around for 60 years, and guess what,there has not been 1 single solitary,irrefutable , shred of evidence to prove they exist in Australia ever produced.
Paw prints...most school kids could fake them.
Animal/stock kills....packs of wild/feral dogs or even feral cats/pigs
Photos/videos.....in this day and age of digital enhancement you've got to be kidding.

To give an example a friend and I were driving from Horsham to Mildura very late 1 night,we were tired and yes we had consumed a couple of stubbies, (Melbourne to Mildura was a 6 pack trip)a mob of sheep appeared coming down the road towards us, we both saw them,we slowed the car down to a walking speed as we got closer, we both commented that it was odd that a mob of sheep would be on the road at that time of night,when we were about 10/15 yards from them the bloody things vanished, they were a mirage that we both saw in the middle of the night, we discussed what had happened for several years and have never had an explanation for what happened.
So untill somebody can produce a warm body of one of these beasts, no, not a feral cat, but a real live or very recently deceased big cat with dna testing, I'm sorry but I think you believers a having a big w@#nk and need to loosen your grip on yourselves (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-taunt014.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php) :cheers:
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Kit_e_kat9 on August 29, 2012, 12:45:24 PM: So what you are saying xcavator ... is that me ... lil ol Kit_e_kat9 ... is the only Big Cat walking FREE among us ... right now ... here in Oz? Okay, so I might not be small, but I ain't overly big either ... lets call me a medium. ;D

;D LOL! :angel:

Kit_e

P.S. I did have a good laugh at those videos ... blurry, can't focus, digitally un-enhanced ... domestic & feral kitties at their trickiest to capture. :cup:
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Jeepers Creepers on August 29, 2012, 04:52:21 PM: Quote from: Kit_e_kat9 on August 29, 2012, 12:45:24 PM

So what you are saying xcavator ... is that me ... lil ol Kit_e_kat9 ... is the only Big Cat walking FREE among us ... right now ... here in Oz? Okay, so I might not be small, but I ain't overly big either ... lets call me a medium. ;D

;D LOL! :angel:

Kit_e

P.S. I did have a good laugh at those videos ... blurry, can't focus, digitally un-enhanced ... domestic & feral kitties at their trickiest to capture. :cup:

Your "Goldilocks size", not too small, not too large, but just right. :D or so i've heard. (But it was never proven in court)
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: xcvator on August 29, 2012, 05:27:24 PM: Quote from: Kit_e_kat9 on August 29, 2012, 12:45:24 PM

So what you are saying xcavator ... is that me ... lil ol Kit_e_kat9 ... is the only Big Cat walking FREE among us ... right now ... here in Oz? Okay, so I might not be small, but I ain't overly big either ... lets call me a medium. ;D

;D LOL! :angel:

Kit_e

P.S. I did have a good laugh at those videos ... blurry, can't focus, digitally un-enhanced ... domestic & feral kitties at their trickiest to capture. :cup:

That depends Kit_e, are you wild, feral or just another pussie that likes to be stroked (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-ashamed002.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: D4D on September 16, 2012, 09:19:49 AM: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/minister-keeps-sense-of-puma-20120915-25zhp.html (http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/minister-keeps-sense-of-puma-20120915-25zhp.html)
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: GGV8Cruza on September 18, 2012, 02:56:06 PM: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/sorry-but-there-are-no-big-cats-out-there-20120918-263yy.html (http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/sorry-but-there-are-no-big-cats-out-there-20120918-263yy.html)

GG
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Mace on September 18, 2012, 04:39:04 PM: If there were, i though someone like Menkhorst would have brought back a scat by now!

Here's what to look for. Good Luck!
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: bobnrob on September 18, 2012, 05:33:11 PM: And once again, our pollies show a complete disregard by joining forces with other (so called educated) lunatics to waste valuable money! >:(
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: D4D on April 14, 2017, 05:50:02 PM: http://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/another-victorian-big-black-cat-sighting-at-oshannassy-aqueduct-trail-in-warburton-east/news-story/6d42c71c0a19c61c2efd25b7c5bcb5b1 (http://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/another-victorian-big-black-cat-sighting-at-oshannassy-aqueduct-trail-in-warburton-east/news-story/6d42c71c0a19c61c2efd25b7c5bcb5b1)
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Bird on April 14, 2017, 06:39:20 PM: Quote from: D4D on April 14, 2017, 05:50:02 PM
http://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/another-victorian-big-black-cat-sighting-at-oshannassy-aqueduct-trail-in-warburton-east/news-story/6d42c71c0a19c61c2efd25b7c5bcb5b1 (http://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/another-victorian-big-black-cat-sighting-at-oshannassy-aqueduct-trail-in-warburton-east/news-story/6d42c71c0a19c61c2efd25b7c5bcb5b1)
tourism numbers dropped again so they need the cat story to come out again :D
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: SambOz on April 14, 2017, 07:28:44 PM: Some years back, round '67 started hunting these big cats, over the next 50 years shot 283 of them and put a big notch in the 458Mag. stock for ea. one.

The better half was getting snakey about the cost of stocks, the 25th a $2,500 McMillan on the action at the mo', and I've had to give the big cat hunting away, old age pensioner etc etc......

Unfortunately never had time to take a picture or skin one in all that time and got 'em all !!

I did see a Tasmanian Tiger yesterday though in the main street of Maffra, up a tree, the old hunter instinct took over and I cut the tree down to get to the creature.

It did land on a white L/C Wagon with Flash Harry Camper and now the wife can only visit between 2pm and 3pm on the 29th of February, crikey these tight jackets are uncomfortable as blazes.............
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: trinityalyce on April 15, 2017, 09:22:56 PM: Quote from: D4D on April 14, 2017, 05:50:02 PM
http://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/another-victorian-big-black-cat-sighting-at-oshannassy-aqueduct-trail-in-warburton-east/news-story/6d42c71c0a19c61c2efd25b7c5bcb5b1 (http://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/another-victorian-big-black-cat-sighting-at-oshannassy-aqueduct-trail-in-warburton-east/news-story/6d42c71c0a19c61c2efd25b7c5bcb5b1)

My mother reckons she saw some kind of "big cat" on the Warburton Trail years ago. Talking early 2000's I guess? She claims it was roughly the size of a Labrador, not really a "panther".

Now, my mother might be a lot of things, but her eyesight is reasonable and she's not completely nuts... so this myth may have some credibility. But for all the time I spent on that trail riding horses as a teenager I can't say I ever saw one...
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: Cruiser 105Tvan on April 15, 2017, 10:20:41 PM: We grow Feral house cats pretty big down here.
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: loanrangie on April 18, 2017, 01:16:16 PM: Quote from: Cruiser 105Tvan on April 15, 2017, 10:20:41 PM
We grow Feral house cats pretty big down here.

Yeah because we have rats as big as wombats - oh wait, they are wombats. ;D
Title: Re: Black Puma/Panther sightings in Vic - the hunt is on
Post by: OldPaj on April 18, 2017, 07:39:44 PM: There is a Black Puma (of sorts) in the main shopping strip of Lancefield that appeared, literally overnight, the last time the "Big Cats" story broke a few years ago.