62 replies to this topic

[rampaging redneck]

Hi folks, this is my first post to this forum, its good to see so many other people with the same interests in cryptozoology, I have been very interested in the subject for years and have read more books on it than I can be bothered to count.

Anyway, here's my story.

About two months ago now I was on a military excersise in a training area approx 2 hours north of Perth in very thick bushland. It was about the third night, about 2300hrs with plenty of ambient star light. I was keeping watch with night vision equipment while my pit buddy slept. Now, night vision goggles and lack of sleep makes you see some crazy s**t, such as houses in the bush, monkeys and flying saucer landings, but you know you're merely hallucinating at the time. But this time, honest to god, I saw some movement in vegetation about 100 metres from my position, and then observed a massive black feline shape dart from right to left, for about 20 meters, into a small valley. This isn't the first time a creature like this has been encountered in the area, one of my NCOs told us a story of a feline creature that would make an appearance for split seconds at a time and generally scare the crap out of soldiers on guard duty at the armoury near the accommodation blocks (where there is no lack of sleep and NVGs aren't used) by making the most blood curdling screaming howling type sounds. Anybody else heard  of any large felid sightings in Western Australia?

For the record, I am also an experienced hunter and bushman and know a feral cat when I see one, this bad boy was no feral cat!

[DKO]

A guy I went to school with believes he saw one once, but the guy was also a bit of a tall tale teller.

Do you know roughly what area you were in? I live about an hour north of Perth, maybe I know the area.

Myself I have never seen anything like that, I have seen a very huge wildcat. Was gigantic compared to a house cat.

I think a lot of these sighting are just large wildcats. I'm not saying that's what you saw just a lot of people would be surprised to see how big these wildcats can get.


P.S. Welcome to UM.

Edited by DKO, 01 July 2012 - 04:53 AM.

[rampaging redneck]

The area is Bindoon, just out past the Chittering/Muchea area. The military training area is massive and most of it is reasonably thick bush. I remember a lot of years ago now there was talk of the Jarradale jaguar as the news called it, possibly a similar creature.

[thewatchman7]

i live not far from this location and for a university assignment on feral cat populations, found that one female was captured weighing in at 17kg, and was huge.
probably just a large cat.

[libstaK]

With the number of Circus' and privately managed "Lion Parks" I've noticed in Australia in my life it would not surprise me in the least if there was an escape into the wild from one of these sources.

The possibility isn't high but I wouldn't discount it.

[DKO]

Info about cougars in Western Australia.

http://en.wikipedia....stern_Australia

Also the New South Wales government reported that it was 'more likely than not' that there was a colony of large exotic cats living in the Blue Mountains.

http://en.wikipedia....m_cat#Australia

[Doctor manhattan]

i used to hear stories when i used to visit family in jarradale about the "jarradale couger" as the locals called it. they even had jarradale couger bumper stickers for sale in the general store. i dont why they call it the jarradale couger when from what ive heard i looks more like a jaguar.

[DKO]

I have never heard of the Jarrahdale Jaguar before. Been there a few times, very scenic place. Really thick bushland too.

[-d00Fus-]

Hi There

I live in the Perth Hills and have done for 30-odd years. My Dad worked up north and all over the state, on the mines and exporation for 50 years.
He was up asked to hunt down something called the "Karratha Tiger" (I think it was Karratha) once back in the 1970's, found it, shot it and had a look.
It was a feral tabby cat that he estimated at 8 foot long from tail to nose (my dad is over six foot tall so he had a good base to compare). My dad is not given to overboasting (if anything he is dismissive of thing others go "wow" about) and does not tell tall tales about things like this.
Those ferals are getting big. The biggest and strongest breeds with the biggest and strongest and they keep going, after 100 odd years of feral cats I guess this is the result.

[thewatchman7]

-d00Fus-, on 01 July 2012 - 10:38 AM, said:

Hi There

I live in the Perth Hills and have done for 30-odd years. My Dad worked up north and all over the state, on the mines and exporation for 50 years.
He was up asked to hunt down something called the "Karratha Tiger" (I think it was Karratha) once back in the 1970's, found it, shot it and had a look.
It was a feral tabby cat that he estimated at 8 foot long from tail to nose (my dad is over six foot tall so he had a good base to compare). My dad is not given to overboasting (if anything he is dismissive of thing others go "wow" about) and does not tell tall tales about things like this.
Those ferals are getting big. The biggest and strongest breeds with the biggest and strongest and they keep going, after 100 odd years of feral cats I guess this is the result.

the data definately shows this coefficient. they are certainly getting bigger

[rampaging redneck]

Suppose its sort of like the feral pigs, always far larger and more aggressive than domestic ones, not to mention different in colour, proportions etc.

[DKO]

Here's a video apparently showing panthers in the bushland. I think they just look like large feral/wild cats to be honest.

The question I've always had about this topic: If they are just feral cats, why are they all jet black in every piece of footage? Wouldn't the average feral cat be mottled colouring? BTW I believe these sightings are most likely very large feral cats it's just always puzzled me.

[rampaging redneck]

Yeah pure black colouring isn't really like a dominant gene among domestic cats, so I don't see why feral cats would be an exception. Some of that footage just looked like an average domestic moggy, but the pieces toward the end looked far more like a panthe in terms of like the body structure etc.

[MIBT]

I saw one a few years ago in N.S.W. in the bush near wollongong and it was no feral cat. iv see many feral cats in my time but this thing was alot bigger.

[CRIPTIC CHAMELEON]

A good friend of mine who lives in the gipsland area has seen what he reacons is most likely pumas,colours ranging from thawny to dark brown blackish, He said one night he awoke to the dogs going mad looked around outside & thought he saw a dark german shepard sized shape run of. Next morning he found large cat prints around the old chook shed, at first I thought he was having a laugh with me but then he showed me a plaster cast he made from the prints and its big & yes it is a cat print.

Edited by CRIPTIC CHAMELEON, 01 July 2012 - 11:57 PM.