RIMINATOR Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 I have 3 mates who have seen a larger than usual black cat round our way. one of them is a keeper in 1600 acres who's seen it twice(and almost potted it with his 22-250 :unsure: ). He says its about the same size as his springer with a thick long tail. Two of the sightings have been in broad daylight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuffy Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 Ive seen a lot in the papers and on documentarys about the elusive big cats that are said to be living around the uk and as us lot on this forum are ut and about day and night all over the country i wondered if anyone had any sightings or encounters with these? i've seen two . 1 about 12 years ago and another about 2 years ago , both about the same size as a lab but definatly not moving like a dog . ( borrox to the nay-sayers ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 I soooooooooo want a Cheeta :unsure: and a Fisher Cat....Trout Officer, no not me twas that darn Cat again NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 OK fullbore i take it you are into big cats in a big way.I have took the time to read through the stuff you posted and have to say it ranks alongside the lochness monster and alien abduction......or do you beleive in them too? Fist of all are you seriously saying there is lions,pumas,etc roaming around our countryside? "One of the theorys is these big cats are supernatural creatures"or "ghost cats" i am afraid that bit says it all. Another theory is they have survived from prehistoric times!!!!errrm dont think so.Or they are a form unknown to science!! Is all this not sounding a bit weird? "Although much evidence has been put forward over the years,NON has led to official acceptance of their existance"I suppose this bit should be ignored!! "One problem with big cat sightings is people see what they want to see" there is lots of negatives in there isnt there? I can get away with the idea of big cats escaping from places,but they are found very quickly and the idea of wild pumas,lions,tigers and leopards roaming around the place belongs with the crop circles i think and i am not closed minded,just a realist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullbore Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 (edited) OK fullbore i take it you are into big cats in a big way.I have took the time to read through the stuff you posted and have to say it ranks alongside the lochness monster and alien abduction......or do you beleive in them too?Firstly, I am NOT into them, I got the info in about 5 mins from google. And to answer your ridicule, no I do NOT believe in alien abduction and the Loch Ness monster. And the opinions of highly qualified people who have carried out scientific research mean nothing to you then? OMG the world must be flat after all and here be dragons over the horizon Fist of all are you seriously saying there is lions,pumas,etc roaming around our countryside? "One of the theorys is these big cats are supernatural creatures"or "ghost cats" i am afraid that bit says it all. again I believe you are being closed minded, you ignore pALL the other evidence until youreas one line that says what you want and seize on it. Another theory is they have survived from prehistoric times!!!!errrm dont think so.Or they are a form unknown to science!! Is all this not sounding a bit weird? No folk lore and old songs all tell the tale of Black Shuck so it is possible they have been around for a while I believe they are indigineous, not weird just that a predator is far more crafty and adept at concealment than a prey animal. I have spent many thousands of hours stalking, and a lot of trips have been dry with not even a sighting of a deer yet there re supposed to be 40,000 too many of them in the Uk "Although much evidence has been put forward over the years,NON has led to official acceptance of their existance"I suppose this bit should be ignored!! Again one line that says what you want it to "One problem with big cat sightings is people see what they want to see" there is lots of negatives in there isnt there? ditto I can get away with the idea of big cats escaping from places,but they are found very quickly Really? Provide me evidence to that effect and the idea of wild pumas,lions,tigers and leopards roaming around the place belongs with the crop circles i think and i am not closed minded,just a realist. I dont believe you, I have given you everything you asked for, twhich police what evidence, witness names. In short you have been provided with EVIDENCE, all you are offering is opinion and conjecture. Just so you know, I will give you my experience. On one stalking trip both me and my stalking partner, at opposite ends of our beat, saw fox prints in the snow. These went al the way through the snow to the dirt giving a black foot print. We both saw, at different sides of the forest sperated by about 3 miles, prints about the size of my clenched fist with no claws and hair underneath. These prints were just making light indentations in the snow. On raising this in the local pub that evening, most of the farmers and the gamekeeper had reports of sightings, the cat even slept in the barn of one for a while. The following trip the snow had gone but it was very icy. Driving back from the forest my headlights picked up some VERY bright orange eyes in the beam, the animal jumed to the left down a very steep burn and vanished. Those were in the highlands One sighting I had in Yorkshire with the farmer while lamping for fox, caught a large animal, minky grey in colour about 500 yards off, couldnt positively identify it. Those are the sum total of my sightings, so I couldn't offer you conclusive proof. However I would thank you not to ridicule me and treat me with contempt that you reserve for people you obviously consider cranks. I have seen something I cannnot explain or prove to you. Gone further into the subject, asked people and read up on it. All you appear to be doing to me is sitting in front of your pc, opining on something and filing people as drunks lunatics and airheads instead of using your pc to research the subject. There are more learned people than you or I who believe in the existence of big cats in the Uk who are we to nay say them Edited January 14, 2008 by fullbore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Outlaw Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 I reckon Blackbart is Jonno357 with another user account, he likes pulling legs for sure A great bit of cutting and pasting it must also be said by fullbore but and very informative. The big one has to rank as one of the biggest and longest posts I have read so far, if we did a word count he would be up there with me :unsure: Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 so what you're saying Fullbore is they are all round us and if you go down to the woods at night be afraid be very afraid :unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Sam Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Would big cat hunting be good enough reason to get a .50bmg? :unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullbore Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 so what you're saying Fullbore is they are all round us and if you go down to the woods at night be afraid be very afraid :unsure: Where did I say that? They are no more all around us than the 40,000 too many deer in this septic isle I firmly believe they are there though, along with wild boar. I mean, this can go on and on, but for instance the last wolf was shot in england in 1740 I believe. How did they know it was the last on? Was it carrying a card to that effect? There is and by its very nature, bound to be a lot of conjecture about our native wildlife, but in this post alone there have been enough people who have claimed to seen one. These same people have been deemed trustworthy enough and had their backgrounds gone into to determine they are of sound mind to be granted shotgun/firearms licences. So just because someone hasn't seen anything themselves I disapprove of the fact that he chooses to label all these others as drunks cranks and lunatics. Perhaps a wiser course would have been to reserve judgment. Yes I did do a lot of cutting and pasting, and that is just a fraction of what is out there on the subject. ANd in my humble opinion, evidence outweighs armchair conjecture every time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Deer are unlikely to eat you though. Evidence on the net is always very hard to believe just because its written doesn't necessarily make it fact. After all the evidence for UFO's and things like the Twin towers conspiracies could make you believe in nearly anything. Even the Loch ness monster has a lot of supposedly credible evidence. I'm not saying none have got out or were released after the legislation was toughened about keeping dangerous animals just that I don't think we have a breeding base of big cats in the UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullbore Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Deer are unlikely to eat you though. I didnt say they were, what I was saying was there are supposed to be 40,000 too many deer in the country, so what is the total population of deer altogether? And how many times do you see deer when you get out and about? Evidence on the net is always very hard to believe just because its written doesn't necessarily make it fact. True but we're not just talking wikipedia here, I have quoted Police authorities and scientists. After all the evidence for UFO's and things like the Twin towers conspiracies could make you believe in nearly anything. Some people would appear not to believe anything until they have been personally smacked in the nose by it. Even the Loch ness monster has a lot of supposedly credible evidence. I'm not saying none have got out or were released after the legislation was toughened about keeping dangerous animals So again I ask the question, what happened to the carcasses of THESE animals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Ok a few minutes research shows the lynx in London to be a false alarm. Though your cutting and psting from wikipedia shows lots of supposed evidence there isn't much out there to back up the statements "RSPCA inspector Dermot Murphy added: “We haven’t been able to find out who owned the lynx but believe it was privately owned. Unfortunately, there’s been an increase in people owning exotic animals and we would warn anyone hoping to do this to think carefully as they are not ideal pets in the home.†The inspector said it is an offence to hold an animal of this kind without license under the Government enforced Dangerous Wild Animals Act.’ Despite the initial excitement of the Barnet lynx, many researchers concluded, and rapidly, that this particular animal had only been roaming free for a few days, and clearly wasn’t an elusive ‘big cat’ caught by methodical research or even chance. Lara, had simply been sitting on a garden wall waiting to be fed, and only took off after two attempts to dart her and one sharp jab to her rear end." Most of the skulls have been revealed to be fakes there are a lot of people out there trying to become famous, as well as trophies brought back to the UK from abroad. I would believe some of the 1970's stories though as that was when the legislation was brought in regarding keeping of wild animals. This was when it was rumoured cats were released in the UK and Ireland. How long they survived for is debateable as most aren't really suited to our climate. If you look for the stories that have dead animal remains in there isn't much on the net to back it up. Try finding a news report of the puma shot in Greenwich which should have made front page news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Fullbore i am not trying to ridicule you i am just looking at the evidence...it all seems to be glimses and dodgy photos,a lot of which have been proved to be fake.Quoting "black shuck" as evidence they have been around for a while!!!It was supposed to be a ghost cat!! There isnt one bit of proof that confims they exist,just lots of stories and fake photos.I have seen some strange things while out in the countryside but all have had an explanation,like the night i lamped a black shape with big eyes in the middle of a field,i couldnt make out what it was but i knew it was an animal i could see it moving slowly about,now had i been that way inclined it could have very easily been mistaken for a puma,but rather than leave it at that i went to investigate.Even from 30 yards away i could not make out what it was and yes i was a little aprehensive approaching it and when i got closer i couldnt beleive my eyes,it was a seal!!I thought what the**** is a seal doing in the middle of a field in the middle of the night 25 miles from the sea.As it turned out it had escaped from an animal sanctuary about 2 fields away at the back of the farm.So yes very bizzare and unexpected but it had a logical explanation.There isnt anything logical about lions roaming about without anybody seeing but a flashing glimse of them.Sorry for being a non beleiver but it just doesnt make sense to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 If you take out all the Lynx sightings and proof its probably best as these you do find kept as pets and are the easiest to get hold of and look at the proper big cat sightings there really is next to no actual evidence, lots of sightings but not a lot of dead bodies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caeser Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 again a ill informed comment. I used to stalk ground near Straiton in Ayrshire. Farmers were finding that many dead lambs that spring, you couldn't move in those valleys for fox snares. Caught by its nose one morning in the snare was a wild boar Shot and killed with a 270 rifle. Now wild boar dont offiialy exist in Scotland do they? Well I got a good friend who's been stalking for 20 years and works in Straiton and all over galloway and I used to work in Straiton as well and one day me and him went out to collect a stag that he shot in the hills and we saw a big domestic Tomcat and he said that's what people will mistake for a big cat. What part of Straiton did you go stalking in? that doesnt explain the wild boar does it. And if you are from around there its easy enough to confirm it made the front page of the local paper with a photo, Kenny the landlord of the Black Bull showed me it. Used to stalk FC and Tillhill land Well I have moved up to dumbarton and the next time I go down I will see, but I been told by the FC staff that he is a bit of an ****, but I will ask him if he is ever in. I remember some people seeing a big cat but unless I see one I will not beleive there is one. The only things that I have known to be in Galloway forest is red deer and a some fallow but not many and mountain goat. nothing like a boar. I phone my mate up as he is the FC stalker. On the 5th of january, I was in Dumfries and Galloway on a wild boar shoot. Granted they are bred and then released, but they are there. One of the keepers told us that some wild ones had come and interbred with the reared ones. So are there wild boars in Scotland ? I've seen loads. (33 shot in total on our shoot.) Wild cats ? You never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caeser Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSA Shaun Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 IMO they exist. They are very solitary animals and are not wanting to be found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullbore Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Fullbore i am not trying to ridicule you i am just looking at the evidence...it all seems to be glimses and dodgy photos,a lot of which have been proved to be fake.Quoting "black shuck" as evidence they have been around for a while!!!It was supposed to be a ghost cat!! There isnt one bit of proof that confims they exist so you have extensively searched all the links I posted quoting police, scientists and other respected people bfore you made that statement have you? ,just lots of stories and fake photos.I have seen some strange things while out in the countryside but all have had an explanation,like the night i lamped a black shape with big eyes in the middle of a field,i couldnt make out what it was but i knew it was an animal i could see it moving slowly about,now had i been that way inclined it could have very easily been mistaken for a puma,but rather than leave it at that i went to investigate.Even from 30 yards away i could not make out what it was and yes i was a little aprehensive approaching it and when i got closer i couldnt beleive my eyes,it was a seal!!I thought what the**** is a seal doing in the middle of a field in the middle of the night 25 miles from the sea.As it turned out it had escaped from an animal sanctuary about 2 fields away at the back of the farm.So yes very bizzare and unexpected but it had a logical explanation.There isnt anything logical about lions roaming about without anybody seeing but a flashing glimse of them.Sorry for being a non beleiver but it just doesnt make sense to me. Just because your sighting was bizarre doesn't mean they all are, or are you suggesting that everyone has seen seals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullbore Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Fullbore i am not trying to ridicule you I believe you are because I MUST be including in this statement you made Big cats only exist in the minds of shortsighted people,drunks and people who spend far too much time watching scully and mulder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullbore Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 (edited) There isnt one bit of proof that confims they exist Again you seem to be putting forth conjecture without making the effort to se if there is any try typing proof of big cats into google and see what happens http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4671402.stm Balbirnie cast (top), captive puma (right), dog (bottom), leopard (left) Police believe they have the first conclusive proof a big cat, dubbed the "Beast of Balbirnie", could be on the loose in Fife. There have been numerous reports of big cats in the Kingdom in recent years. Now officers have had a plaster cast of a paw print verified by experts who believe it is of an 18-month-old exotic large cat. Fife Police's wildlife crime officer, Mark Maylin, said it was most likely to be a print of a black leopard. Mr Maylin said: "There had been several sightings at one time on the Balbirnie Estate near Glenrothes of a big cat so we went down and discovered this print. I am resigned to the fact we are going to have to live with this big cat in the area Mark Maylin Fife Constabulary "At the time there was a local man who said he had been walking his St Bernard dog in the area but I was convinced it had come from a big cat so I took a plaster cast of it to two experts who said immediately it was from an exotic cat. "They couldn't be species-specific because there wasn't specific clarity in the heel pad but said judging by the size the animal was 18 months old and was the offspring of an animal released illegally in the 90s. "I am resigned to the fact we are going to have to live with this big cat in the area. It hasn't hurt anyone in the past. I would urge people to refrain from shooting it because an injured animal is a very dangerous one." Exciting news Rob Martin, The Cat Survival Trust manager who verified the cast was that of a big cat, said it was "exciting news". "It is definitely a big cat because there were no claw marks and the pad shapes are consistent with a cat's. "It's exciting to think big cats are living wild in Scotland but they will eventually die off. It's most likely to be a leopard." Police sent the paw print off for analysis by experts George Redpath, Fife's big cat researcher, said he was "delighted" it had finally been confirmed. "I have always believed there are big cats in Fife after seeing black leopards on four different occasions. "But it is great that finally we have the proof and that an expert has come forward to confirm it is the footprint of a big cat. "Nobody should be unduly concerned because these cats have been here for years. they won't bother you if you don't bother them." I am particularly intrigud by the last sentence, the rest seems to be fairly credible proof to me E-mail this to a friend Printable version SEE ALSO: Zoologist studies 'big cat' print 06 Oct 05 | Scotland South West 'is big cat hotspot' 20 Apr 04 | Cornwall Sheep painted to deter 'panther' 11 Dec 03 | Scotland Big cat concerns continue 17 Nov 03 | Northern Ireland Edited January 14, 2008 by fullbore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullbore Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 On the 5th of january, I was in Dumfries and Galloway on a wild boar shoot. Granted they are bred and then released, but they are there. One of the keepers told us that some wild ones had come and interbred with the reared ones. So are there wild boars in Scotland ? I've seen loads. (33 shot in total on our shoot.) That'll be 33 carcasses as proof of an animal that doesn't exist in Scotland then, hmmmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullbore Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Caesar your last photo is very dark can you lighten it up to show what it is please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caeser Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Caesar your last photo is very dark can you lighten it up to show what it is please The pictures were taken with a camera phone in the dark. Not the best flash, hence they're not great. I'll try and lighten them up, can't promise anything though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Elvis Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 cool.gif They are 100% here. One of my shoots I wont go on without a shottie, even though Im airgun shooting. I joined 2 years ago, the previous year, bionicle was walking thro the shoot with a mate, richard, when opposite in a field, approx 300yards wide(will measure next time Im there) Bionicle saw what he described as a jet black labradour, they looked at it thro Richards mkiii with an ags scope on and Richard said that it was far too big to be a dog. It sloped of around some bushes and they failed to follow it ( I would have). The next "sighting" Richard was sitting on a concrete block loading his magazine for the mkiii, with a shottie on his back when the cat walked past approx 20yards from him, he said it didnt even look at him, if it had decided to eat him he would have been a sitting duck, as despite the shottie, he was rooted to the spot. Later in the same season they found a muntjac carcass which looked like it had been shot thro the temples, ie an entry wound one side and an exit the other, the carcass had been picked clean apart from the neck and head. The thing which didnt immediately occur to them was the head wound, both sides were the same , which lead me to the conclusion that it wasnt a gunshot wound, though the land is cleared for .243, no-one in the club ownes one. In January the following year i joined, Bionicle and I mooched round on a freezing day as saw nowt, we were about to call it a day when there was a big pile of steaming deer poo by the path, i suggested we follow the disturbed leaves and "TRACK" THE MUNTIE. wHICH WE DID, WE THEN CAME TO A RABBIT FENCE AND OVER IT WE FOUND TINY DEER TRACKS, THEN AFTER 20-30 YARDS WE FOUND A BIG FLATTENED PATCH OF MUD, WITH IMPRINTS OF HAIR ON IT, leading up to this were prints the size of my hand which had no claw marks, the other side was a drag mark to the rabbit fence, which had a load of deer hairs on it then nothing, not a trace, all of this must have happenned merely 50-60 yards ahead of us, hence why i take the shottie at all times. Im under no illusions, it probably wont ever come anywhere near me, let alone attack me. I havent seen IT but I have seen very clear eveidence and 2 people i trust implicitley have seen it, not to mention the shoot manager, the farmer and 3 other members of the shoot. Id love to see it, and would never attempt to shoot it unless i thought i was on the menu. wink.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caeser Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 I hope these are a bit better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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