Javan Leopards

A new population of Javan leopards has been discovered in one of the island's parks. (News source.)

Carnivores in the News

Was a Florida panther photographed in Sarasota County? (News source.)

Cougar sightings are coming out of Virginia. (News source.)

A large cougar was killed after it attacked a bull in Washington State. (News source.)

The Mexican wolf that escaped in MN recently was recaptured. (News source.)

The highest diversity of cat species in the world has been discovered in a forest in the Indian state of Assam. (News source.)

Jaguar

Sky Island Alliance released photos of a jaguar from Sonora, just 30 miles south of the US/Mexico border. (News source.)

Misidentifications

A woman new to Texas thought she had a lemur in her backyard; turned out to be a native ringtail cat. (News source.)

A video of a black "big cat" in Australia looks like a large domestic feline. (News source.)

Jaguars

An interesting Op Ed from biologist Alan Rabinowitz showing why advocacy groups like the Center for Biological Diversity are doing more harm than good by forcing the USFWS to preserve "jaguar habitat."

Jaguar Protection

Federal officials are now supporting jaguar habitat protection. (News source.) And a Louisiana newspaper chimes in with stories of jaguars from the past there.

The Politics of Jaguar Conservation

An interesting article here, on the political disputes and legal controversies surrounding the Arizona-New Mexico Jaguar Conservation Team.

Big Cats in UK

A BBC news article here on a "big cat" print.

Big Cats in UK

A BBC news article here on a "big cat" print.

Big Cat Fake

A UK newspaper published a fake big cat sighting photo, created from a Youtube video the hoaxers found online. (News source.)

Prowling Felines

Another article here on alleged cougar sightings in Michigan.

An article here on a prowling tiger in Malaysia worrying a village.

Lots of Felines in the News

Big black "feline" sightings continue in Australia. (News source.)

Mountain lion sightings alleged in Virginia, North Carolina, and Ohio (see image). [I tracked sightings of a probable released cougar in that same area of Ohio, Warren County, a number of years ago. Not a great area for an actual population, though there is farmland game.]

A mountain lion killed in Louisiana is being tested genetically to see if it is a Texas wanderer.

A black feline is reported from New York.

A tiger escaped from a West Virginia exotic game farm was killed after it tried to ambush its owner in the woods. (News source.)

Irish Lion

A big sandy-colored animal spotted roaming the grounds of the Belfast zoo was most likely a stray dog; no big cats were missing from their enclosures. (News source.)

Australian Big Cats Again

Generic news article here.

More from Illinois

A paw print from North Chicago that was cast turned out to be from a large dog, but a police officer over in Round Lake Park thinks he saw a large feline. (News source.)

Another Australian Big Cat Sighting

From Harcourt, Victoria, Australia, comes a big black cat report:

"Coliban Water bailiff Dennis Clapham spotted the large animal while on his way to turn on channel water for Harcourt Valley Vineyards shortly before 7 am on Sunday." ...
"Mr Clapham said from a distance of less than 100 metres he estimated the animal to be about 60 cm high and with a body length of up to a metre that moved with a distinctly feline quality." ...
"Harcourt Valley Vineyards owner Kye Livingstone said his brother had first sighted the paw prints at the dam’s edge on the weekend, but had suspected them of being a neighbour’s dog.
"But, he said his neighbour’s dogs tended to wander off together and the single set of prints, each measuring eight centimetres across, indicated something much larger."

Big Cat Sighting in Australia

From the Geelong Advertiser:

"LORNE visitor Simon Raik-Allen said he would think twice about hiking in Otway forest after having seen a puma-like cat near Erskine Falls.
"Mr Raik-Allen said he was startled by the sighting 100 metres away in clear conditions on Erskine Falls Road at 5.30am.
"'When I saw it I thought what the hell is a panther doing in Australia,' Mr Raik-Allen said.
"He estimated the cat, with long looping tail, was about 1.5 metres long and half a metre high."

Canadian Big Black Cat

A Port Franks, Ontario, woman reports seeing a black cougar-like animal in the area. Several other sightings have been reported recently. (News source.)

UK Black Cat

A large black feline has been reported at Wolds, in the UK. From the news:

"The Wolds giant black cat has been spotted for the first time this year - at Thimbleby Lakes by a Horncastle fisherman. Pensioner Paul Smith was enjoying his monthly fishing trip when he spotted the mysterious creature lurking on the other side of the bank.
"'I watched it go all the way round from one side of the lake to the other,' he told the News.
"'It was definitely a big black cat without a doubt.
"'It was the size of a labrador and was very graceful.
"'I was rather surprised, it was a bit eerie,' said Mr Smith of Spilsby Road."

Australian Coupan (Big Cat) Sighting

A Karridale, Western Australia, vineyard manager reported seeing a large black feline on the property. (News source.)

UK Feline Photograph

A daytripper to Great Hucklow, Derbyshire, has photographed a feline that some consider a possible big cat. The cat walked along a wall, giving an estimate of 3 feet in length and 18 inches in height. One investigator suggested it could be a young leopard or a hybrid cat. (News source.)

Personally, I don't believe the photo shown gives enough information to render a verdict.

Big Cats in Britain Group 3-Day Event in March

Big cat sightings under spotlight

Simon Bristow

THE Wildcat of the Wolds, the Lincolnshire Lynx and the reported sightings of other mysterious "big cats" will be debated at a conference in Hull next month.

The Big Cats in Britain group is hosting the three-day event at The Dorchester Hotel, in Beverley Road, from March 23.Guest speakers will include veteran big cat researcher Di Francis, zoologist Chris Moiser, South African trackers and several people claiming to have witnessed the phenomenon.A spokesman said: "It is over 40 years since the first public spate of sightings hit the headlines with the Surrey Puma, yet we are still no closer to solving the mystery."

Experts from all over the country will be gathering to discuss if these cats really are all black leopards, hybrids, or a relic, indigenous species that we never knew existed alongside us."The event also includes film shows, a raffle, quiz, and book stall.

Fife (UK) Big Cat?

A couple in the UK photographed what they think is a big cat. From the news:

"George Brown and his wife Jill, who first reported a sighting of the animal in November, were out walking their dog near Hawklaw on Saturday afternoon.
"Suddenly they saw what appeared to be cat-like beast with a black face, fawn-coloured body and busy, black tail just 200 yards away.
"Mr Brown said from the moment they had entered the field Jill sensed something, but it wasn't until they had walked nearly to the top of the hill, with their three-year-old son George close behind them, that they got their closest ever sighting.
"'We were about 200 yards from the animal when it started to move,' he said.
"'Our cocker spaniel Charlie was 150 yards from it and we were trying to stop him from picking up the scent.'
"'But we could see that this animal was the same size as the dog. We did get a good look at it and we could tell it wasn't just a domestic cat, it was much bigger and more powerful looking.'
"Mr Brown said the animal had short, smooth fur on both its face and body, but its tail was thick and black and resembled a fox tail."

The photo is not very clear, but I don't see any characteristics which would disqualify the animal from being a large domestic cat.

Georgia: Black Cat Sighting

Noted on the Anomalist, from The State (South Carolina):

"A federal forester says he was chased into the Chattooga River by a 7-foot-long panther with 'jet black' fur.
"Terrance Fletcher, a technician with the U.S. Forest Service, dove into the frigid water and crawled up the bank in South Carolina to escape.
"'The animal started running ... so I decided to run and get away and jump in the river to get across to the other side,' Fletcher said this week. 'It was a life-changing event for me.'
"The incident occurred the second week in January along the mountain river separating Georgia and South Carolina.
"Black panthers are not native to the southeastern United States, meaning Fletcher might have seen a river otter or a bobcat, state wildlife officials in Georgia and South Carolina said.
"Still, Fletcher and Forest Service District Ranger Dave Jensen said they think he saw some sort of large cat on the Georgia side of the river.
"'It was a little too big to be a bobcat,' Fletcher said. 'My first impression was a panther.'
"The Georgia Department of Natural Resources found no evidence of large cat tracks in the area where Fletcher said he saw the animal, but the Georgia DNR’s Kevin Lowrey said it’s possible a black panther was lurking in the woods.
"If so, it was probably an exotic pet that escaped, he said. His agency regularly receives reports of people seeing cougars, large tawny cats that were once native to Georgia and South Carolina. Officials say the creatures are likely escaped pet cougars or other animals, rather than wild cougars.
"'We don’t have a native black cat in the United States,' Lowrey said. 'That just tells me it was something released.'
"Lowrey, a wildlife biologist with the Georgia agency, said people hiking or fishing along the Chattooga River should not be overly concerned. The river is the only federally designated wild and scenic river in South Carolina, and it is popular with recreational enthusiasts.
"Lowrey said folks should always be aware of their surroundings when in the forest.
"Fletcher, a 24-year-old Alabama native, said he and another Forest Service technician were surveying trails on the Georgia side of the river south of the Burrells Ford bridge when they separated.
"While taking a break near the river bank, Fletcher heard rustling in the woods and looked in that direction. Staring back at him was what appeared to be a black panther, crouched on the forest floor like a house cat stalking a bird, he said.
"When he stood up, the cat started running, prompting him to take the icy dip in the Chattooga. Soaked to the skin and freezing, he met up with his partner and walked through the woods to their Forest Service truck.
"'We just got on out of there,' Fletcher said, adding he remains a bit spooked by the incident. 'I don’t know how long (the feeling) will last.'"

Australian Big Cat Sightings

From the news:

"The mystery of a colossal cat seen roaming the region began to unravel last week as residents reported more panther sightings to the Macarthur Chronicle.
Wedderburn resident Ted Lalor, 70, said he and a neighbour saw a panther near their homes six months ago.
"'The boys in Appin who saw the panther last week were fair dinkum,' he said.
"'I've shot feral cats before and there's no way a cat could grow to the size of the animal I'm talking about. Eventually someone will knock off one of these creatures, then people will finally believe they exist.'
"Two people who won't need much convincing are teenagers Emilly and Karrine.
Emilly said she saw the creature while riding her horse at Sugarloaf Horse Centre in Menangle.
"'The first time I saw the panther, it chased me on my horse,' she said.
"'But I've seen it other times and it just hangs around then goes back into the bush. My friend Karrine told me she saw the same thing.'
"Other reports included Kelly, 29, who saw the big cat near the Broughton Pass in Appin, and Dale Shackleton who recalled a panther terrorising his Appin farm and the Inghams chicken sheds more than 30 years ago.
"Cryptozoologist Mike Williams said scientists believed a breed of big cat existed in Australia but they were unsure whether it was a mutated feral cat, native, or an exotic cat, like a panther.
"'There is something out there,' he said. 'Where there's smoke, there's fire. People don't just wake up in the morning with an urge to say they have seen a panther.'
"Mr Williams said big cats were among the best animals when it came to camouflage and were largely nocturnal.
"'That humans see these creatures is not amazing - what is amazing is that we see them at all,' he said."

Roar of Mich. cougar debate grows louder

Roar of Mich. cougar debate grows louder

Francis X. Donnelly / The Detroit News

January 27, 207

TRAVERSE CITY -- No cougars live in Michigan, say some state and federal wildlife officials.
But a conservation group believes so many of the big cats exist that they cover the state.
Somewhere between those two views lies the truth, which has become as elusive as the skittish animal at the center of the debate, cougar experts said.

The argument has grown increasingly bitter with charges of hoaxes, cover-ups, blurry photos reminiscent of Bigfoot sightings, a state agency accused of violating state law, scientists accused of ignoring their own research, and a dead pet panther named Sasha.

"It's about money, ego, power -- all the forces of evil," said Dennis Fijalkowski, executive director of the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, about the controversy.

The disagreement is more than an academic food fight. The two sides agree that public safety is at stake, but, as with everything else dealing with the issue, they disagree how.

The wildlife conservancy, based in Bath, near Lansing, says the government is failing to protect residents and an endangered species.

The state and federal officials say the conservation group is needlessly scaring people.

Cougars -- also called mountain lions -- seldomly attack humans, but a growing number of reported sightings -- 1,200 since 2001 -- has alarmed residents around the state.

Last year, Berrien County on the Indiana border issued a public safety advisory after an attack on a horse, and in June Battle Creek police did the same after officers reportedly spotted several cougars.

Eleanor Comings, 62, a volunteer at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore near Traverse City, said she was followed by a cougar for 20 minutes along one of the park trails in 2003.

"When I first saw it, it was my worst nightmare," she said. "My second thought was: Everyone wants to see one, and here it is."

Read More of the story at the Detroit Press

More UK Big Cat Sightings

More black feline reports from the UK:

"Professional lobster catcher Graham Barker said he watched a beast similar to those described in recent Herald and Gazette reports when he was out on the water last June.
"The animal was walking along the shoreline and he initially thought it was a big dog.
"Mr Barker, of Beltring Road, said, 'We were at Beachy Head at about 4.30am one day last June and we saw what we thought was a large dog running along the shore. We went nearer to have a look and realised it was a big cat. It was sat there on a black rock for about 15 minutes — 200lbs of jet black cat with a white mark on the right hand side of his cheek. Fifty feet away was close enough.'
"Three weeks later they were told somebody who had later been in a boat by the shoreline had found large paw prints at low tide.
"Mr Barker said, 'I couldn't believe it. He exists, he is up there. Two of us were in the boat. We took cameras up with us for the next six weeks but didn't see him again.'
"He added he has heard at least one other fisherman say they have seen the big cat."