posted on Jan, 6 2012 @ 03:36 PM
Originally posted by pierregustavetoutant
Now, I realize it is unlikely for an animal this size to go unnoticed by science, but I also think that anyone over the age of 5, who is not mentally
deficient, can tell the difference between a large housecat and a big cat.
We have several different kinds of exotic cats living in the U.K. Smaller cats used as ratters on the old sailing ships have colonised areas around
the old ports. Escapees of various types live in many parts of the country. It's possible the native lynx was never fully exterminated, there are
certainly escaped lynx and bobcats. Plenty of escaped pumas, rarely seen. The big mystery is the number of black leopards. Far more than could be
accounted for by escapees. I say escapees but many cats have been released deliberately for various reasons.
The black leopard mystery in the U.K. could be explained by saying Romans had plenty of them for the gladiatorial games. The capture methods were very
effective, some parts of what was the Roman Empire have never regained the wildlife trapped out by the Romans. Black leopards were extremely valuable,
there are records of people being ordered to supply a set number of black leopards for the games. It's possible a breeding program was attempted in
Britain. Some escapes would be inevitable. A breeding population of steadily increasing numbers till the present day could neatly explain their
presence. Similar sightings in Australia and the States are more difficult to explain.
Most 'authorities' will deny or play down the issue to avoid being asked to take action. These animals are incredibly tough. A local man wrote off
his car hitting a black leopard head on. The cat left the scene of the accident. When he spoke to the local police they just said, "We get lots of
reports of black leopards crossing the road just there. You probably hit one." He had tentatively reported it as hitting a large dark animal. A
farmer ran one over in a four wheel drive. He called the police and when they arrived they saw it leave the area. A boy we know reported a close
encounter with a black leopard and the police just said, "Oh, we get lots of reports like that." He was offended and thought they weren't taking
him seriously. I pointed out they simply made a true statement. Lots of people do report these sightings. There's nothing that can be done. Using
high powered rifles in an area with a high population density isn't sensible. Injuring a cat will create a dangerous situation. British police have
had black leopards in their sights then not taken the shot because they can't be sure of a kill. I've heard of black leopards being shot with a
shotgun and carrying on as if nothing has happened. I've heard a second hand account of a man lamping foxes who shot a sitting cat in the chest at
close range with a .22. It licked the wound, took a couple of bounds away from him then turned and sat down to watch him again. He became very scared
at this point.
I've seen several black leopards and one puma in the U.K. I've heard many first hand accounts.
Now for the excuse that it's a trick of perspective and they're just ordinary house cats. Where are all the reports of giant squirrels, giant foxes,
giant pigeons??? Why is it nearly always a big black cat with a long tail???
And to dismiss the theory that in the U.K. these sightings followed the tightening up of statutes relating to dangerous pets in 1976. These sightings
go back through history. When a friend who was with me when we had a fairly close encounter spoke to his father, his father said "I've seen plenty
of them, some close enough to touch." His father used to work on the railway and regularly walked home along the railway line at night long before
'76. When this friend spoke to his cousin who's a postman the cousin told him he had seen four on separate occasions but never told anyone. I asked
a retired train driver if he'd ever seen one and he said "Yes. But I never told the other train drivers. If someone wanted to cause trouble for you
they'd just have to say you were prone to imagining things. That's the sort of thing that gets you sacked as a train driver."
So you see this is a worldwide phenomena. You'll find well documented sightings and more from Australia.
I'll leave you with the most bizarre sighting a local expert had reported to him. A black big cat, a brown big cat and a white big cat wearing a
collar all walking in line.