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.)

OOPAs: Escapees and Accidentals

What is thought to be a macaque was seen again in the Tampa Bay area. (News source.)

A Mexican wolf is loose in Minnesota after vandalism at a science center. (News source.)

A mongoose was trapped in Samoa. (News source.)

More on Scat Dogs

A paper available for download: (PDF)

Comparing Scat Detection Dogs, Cameras, and Hair Snares for Surveying Carnivores
R. A. Long, et al.
The Journal of Wildlife Management
71(6): 2018-2025.

Sacramento Valley Fox

A new subspecies of native red fox has been determined in the Sacramento Valley (CA). (News source, via Kevin Stewart)

Lioness was a Dog

Spanish police shot what they thought was a female lion, after a massive search for the animal. It turned out to be a dog. (News source.)

Strange Animal Roundup

Just so I don't have to make more posts than necessary:

Conservationists are working with Ethiopian wolves, here.

Another brown-and-white giant panda has been found. (News source.)

A giant stingray has been filmed. (News source, with video)

Falkland Wolf Research

Looks like the extinct Falkland wolf's closest relative was the South American maned wolf. (Eurekalert.)

Red Wolves

An article noting recent video of red wolves taken in Walton Co., Florida, here. Direct link to video here.

Alleged Wolf Probably a Dog

A large canine photographed near Tuscola, TX, was probably just a dog, according to a few game officials. (News source.)

Another Mangey Coyote?

A man in Bandera County, Texas, shot what appears to be another coyote with mange. (News source.)

Misidentification

An old newspaper account from Arizona illustrates that even widely different animals can be confused by some people.

Coastal Wolves Distinctive

An interesting study suggests that the wolves found on the west coast from southern Alaska to Vancouver Island are "unique in behaviour, looks, diet and genetic makeup." (News source.)

Dholes Loose in UK

A pack of Asian dholes (wild dogs) escaped from a UK animal park; 6 were darted or shot, and 2 are still loose. (News source.)

Black Cat Mis-ID

In the latest of a series on NC big cat sightings, the columnist relates how a black feline turns out to be canine...

Black Wolves

Some interesting genetic research regarding a black mutant gene found in North American wolves, and its origin. (Eurekalert)

Wolves Returning to Central France

From the news:

"Wolf tracks have been found in the snow near Bondons, in the hills and forests of the Cevennes National Park 500 kilometres (312 miles) south of Paris, where one park official believes he saw one of the predators.
"A dead calf was found on farmland nearby, but it had been torn at by so many different animals it was difficult to say what killed it. Authorities are to conduct DNA tests on spoor samples found in the forest."

Not Quite

Big tracks in Australia are likely from a canine, not a feline. (News source.)

Apparently this passes for news today: The RCMP has not captured a live Sasquatch. (News source.)

NJ Varmint

A pair of possible wolf-dog hybrids are roaming Vorhees, New Jersey. (News source.)

More Australian Cat Stories

Tracks found in Glenwood, Australia, have been found; the discoverer isn't sure if they're canine or feline. Claw marks are present, but he thinks they appear retractile. (News source.)

Dingos Disappearing

Purebred dingos are becoming scarce, as domestic canine hybridization is polluting the gene pool. (News source.)

Tennessee Cougar Alleged

Tracks found in western Tennessee have some people thinking "cougar." (News source.)

Now, looking at the enlarged version of the tracks (at the news site), it doesn't look that much like a cougar track. The claws are prominent and the shape is wrong. It's probably a dog. See this nice little brochure for more details on distinguishing tracks.

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.)

"Kind of looks like a mangy coyote..."

Two "mystery animals" shot in Terryville, Texas. (News source.)

Oddballs

An albino whale shark was photographed off the Galapagos islands. (News source.)

A mangey fox was photographed in New York. (News source.)

Dog Might Be Panther

Republic, Missouri, police think a Great Dane known to them is probably responsible for a panther sighting in the area. (News source.)

Texas Hairless Canine

Might as well be the state mammal. (Or state disease.) Some DeWitt County Sheriff's deputies photographed what looks like a short-limbed hairless dog, so obviously it must be a chupacabras. (News source.)

Texas Coyote Folklore

An outdoors columnist discusses stories of giant coyotes in east Texas. (News source.)

Yucca Valley Canid

A strange canine seen in Yucca Valley, California, is likely a mangy coyote. (News source.)

Big Cat Allegations

An Ohio couple think that a cougar visits their property. "They describe the animal as a large, long-tailed tawny cat, with rounded ears and body about 3 feet long from chest to tail. It weighed '75 pounds . . . maybe a little more.'" (News source.)

Livestock on a New York farm has been killed, and the farmer thinks it may have been a cougar. DEC thinks it was a coyote. (News source.)

Illinois "Cougar"

Questions remain on alleged cougar sightings in Palos Heights (news source), and tracks in Alton are canine (or maybe otter).

Colorado Varmint

A strange animal is roaming El Paso County, Colorado, some claim to be an African lion. Others say it is more likely canine. A photo taken of it is not confirmative, looks a bit more like a dog than a lion. (News source.)

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.)

Cougar Reported in North Chicago

A large tan animal, either feline or canine, was reported seen in North Chicago. (News source.)

"Coleman was in her car around 8:30 a.m. at the southeast corner of Argonne Drive and Seymour Avenue when she looked across the street and spotted what appeared to be a very large cat.
"The tan-colored, 30-inch tall animal was slowly walking between two houses in the 1400 block of Argonne. Its long, thick tail dangling behind."

Melanistic Coyote

A black phase coyote was trapped in Georgia, image here.

Wolves in France

A wolf has been found in the Massif Central mountains in France. (News source.)

"France's wolves were eradicated in the 1920s, but lone animals started crossing back into the French Alps from Italy in the 1990s, and there are signs they are now venturing deeper inland.
"Two hikers photographed a large dog-like animal wandering in the town of Lavigerie, in the central Cantal region, on January 20.
"The National Office of Hunting and Wildlife confirmed on Monday it was a male grey wolf after carrying out tests on the animal's prints and excrement."

New England Wolves

Here's some commentary on the appearance of a wolf in Connecticut.

Hairless Coyote Back in News

The hairless coyotes from Cuero, Texas, are back in the news now that someone found Mexican wolf genes in their coyote DNA. (News source.)

Now, this isn't particularly unexpected, as we know that a) eastern coyotes have wolf genes, and b) Mexican wolves are the smallest of the gray wolf subspecies and there may be more likelihood of genetic transfer between them and coyotes. For some reason, this genetic oddity keeps gaining media attention, which would be fine if they wouldn't keep calling the animals "chupacabras." That's just ignorance playing on fears. (Further, there's been no confirmation, from what I've seen, that these coyotes are "draining blood" from their prey. So far, it's all speculation.)

Arkansas "Beasts" Kill Dog

A Faulkner Co., Arkansas, man was walking his dogs when they ran into four "wolflike" creatures. He doesn't think they were coyotes, but suggests they might be wolf-dog hybrids, though he hasn't found any photos matching what he's seen. They killed one of his dachshunds, and attacked him before being chased off by another of his dogs. (News source.)

Utah Wolf Sighting

Sightings of a wolf-like animal have been reported from the Olympus Cove neighborhood of east Salt Lake County. (News source.)

Massachusetts Coyote Study

Another study on northeastern coyotes shows significant percentages of wolf in the genes.

Missouri Wolves?

A Missouri hunter believes he saw two timber wolves in Saline County. (News source.)

"Daughtry was bow hunting on land owned by Saline County farmer Velma Bacon near the intersection of county roads 206 and 215 when he saw the pair of animals trot past." ...
"Daughtry said the animals' fur was greyish in color and guessed they were tall enough to reach nearly to his hip."
"He hasn't seen the animals since, but he thinks they may have a litter of young because he has heard yips and whining sounds that pups might make.
"Saline County Conservation Agent Tom Davidson said he had received a report on the sighting but had not yet visited the site.
"He noted that the presence of wolves in Missouri is exceedingly rare -- reports of wolf sightings are much less frequent even than reports of mountain lion sightings.
"He said there was one report of a wolf sighting further west of Bacon's property late in the spring, but investigation of the sight did not yield conclusive evidence. Tracks there did not appear to be big enough to be made by wolves, he said.
"The only definite case of a wolf in Missouri recently that Davidson could remember was from several years back when someone in Grundy County shot what they thought was a coyote and it turned out to be a radio-tagged wolf from a northern state that had wandered south."

Texas Canine Identified

No surprise, the Cuero, TX, carcass of a strange canine turns out to be a coyote with hair loss. (News source.)

Fox on a Bed

A UK woman found a year-old fox that had snuck in through a catflap, sleeping on her bed. When disturbed, it snuggled back into the blankets. An animal rescue is taking care of the fox until it can be released. (News source.)

Wolf Trouble

Three wolves in southeastern Finland are on a dog-killing spree. 18 dogs have been killed since August, and about as many are missing. (News source.)

"One incident that testifies to the beasts' boldness was when a wolf tried to attack three dogs sitting on a glazed veranda, attempting to break in through a sliding glass door. Fortunately the glass door held."

Wolf in Massachusetts?

An 85-lb. canine was shot in western Massachusetts after attacking and killing sheep. Due to its wolflike appearance, it is undergoing genetic testing. (News source.)

NC "Feline" Elusive

Nothing new on the supposed "big cat" from Bolivia, NC, though more canine-like tracks have been found, so officials are suggesting it might be "a large wolf or bobcat." The rumor mill is pointing to a closed-down private zoo, empty for a year, as a possible source. (News source.)

Vermont Canine Tested

A 92-lb canine shot near Troy, VT, in 2006 by a coyote hunter turns out to be "mainly" wolf. Test results from different labs varied, one stating it had some gray wolf, eastern wolf, and coyote in it, another that it was from two different wolf populations that aren't known to interbreed in the wild. VT Fish & Wildlife is going to continue their investigation. (Press release).

NC Varmint

Bolivia, North Carolina, has reports of a large feline stalking the area, possibly killing two local dogs. A large paw-print taken near attack, however, features claws, which points to a canine, not a feline. (News source.)

Wolves or Not?

Montana has a canine mystery on their hands. From the news:

"A mystery predator responsible for 12 sheep deaths in Eastern Montana last month could be connected to the dozens of similar attacks in late 2005 and early 2006, which some officials blame on a domestic hybrid species of wolf.
"Montana’s top wolf official said this week that two suspicious animals remain on the loose in and near Garfield County following the sheep deaths in late August. A third animal killed in a coyote snare earlier this month has yet to be positively identified as wild or domestic."

Egyptian Sel'awaa

There is a folkloric canine in Egyptian culture, the Sel'awaa, a dog-like animal with ferocious habits. Sightings cropped up in 2005 in Alexandria, and have recently been reported in the Sharkia region:

"RESIDENTS OF Belbis, a district in Lower Egypt's Sharkia area, are currently under the reign of terror of a wild canine, which Egyptians call the Sel'awaa.
"The Sel'awaa apparently looks like a normal dog, but its brown or dark yellow skin and two short hind-legs distinguish it from other, more common canines. The key difference, however, is that it is far more savage than a domesticated dog.
"Its almost-ordinary appearance certainly fooled one victim, Ahmed Al Sawy, 17, who says that when he first saw the animal, he though it was just another dog. He only remembered his friends' Sel'awaa warnings when the creature attacked him, biting his leg. Regaining consciousness later at Belbis hospital, Sawy put the pieces together.
"The police have since claimed they have shot the Sel'awaa, but eyewitnesses continue to report sightings, the beast apparently sporting different colors each time it appears."

This appears to be a fear-driven cultural myth, rather than a cryptid, but it would be interesting to know where it originally began.