I know for a fact that there are large feral "big cats" in Australia, about 20 years ago my step dad went on a surfing trip with some friends in Western Australia and while they were driving over theyy came across a giant black "big cat", I beleive they have pictures to so I will see if I can get hold of them and post them later...
I too heard that they were bought over during WWII as US air force mascots and they were abandoned or they escaped when the soldiers left.

Sorry, no pictures were taken but the town they were near was called Esperence, the description he gave me was the cat came out of the bushes on the side of the road it was jet black and 3-4 feet long and 1.5-2 feet high (sorry im used to the metric system).
Note: he said it may have been just a feral cat but said something of a local romour that they were infact bought over by the U.S military and had escaped...

My brother lived in Esperence for a decade and a half. I had the good fortune to see the town myself, now that place is nice. Little rock islands just of shore, very attractive beaches (cept you go in the water a barritone, and come out a soprano) and here is a kicker, they have a lake that because of the alge, turns pink at sunset. Really worth seeing. Wave rock is not all that far from there either, travellable, for that part of the country anyway.

Esperence is a fishing town mostly, and being just on the inside of the great aussie bite, I didn't think we ever had troops in that part of the country? Never heard my brother mention it or the legend, although he would not notice unless it was wering a bikini.
There are very large feral cats here, please do not feel sorry for them, the amount of native life destroyed every year is criminal. Your sympathy would go straight out the window if you saw a disembowelled koala, quoll or other native wildlife. I have seen them in Dingo traps and they are vicious and scary. This is one cryptid the world could do without, although, being a 'man made' cryptid, does that really count?
I don't know this is a really big country, there could be Puma's Leopard's whatever ABC, it sure is not impossible, and I have seen some excellent 'pro' arguments in here, but the moggies here are dead set massive, really more likely, there are a great deal of cats that go wild every year due to irrisponsible owners. They are the most likely ABC IMO.

he wasnt sure if it was a feral cat or something else, Im not sure if there was any military involvment around that area but any thing that escaped in WWII has had ample time to breed/spread to other areas.
I agree with your position on feral cats they are destructive and a hazzard to native wildlife and it may sound cruel but they should be killed as they can get very aggressive, but if it is infact a Puma or a Panther I am against violent methods of control WHEN there is an alternative course of action that may be taken, theres just something majestic about these "big cats" (not to be mistaken with large feral house cats).
Wow its really wierd that you were on this topic and had experience with Esperence the chances must be astronomical, it sounds like a beatiful place...

You are not wrong, small world, I'd hate to mow it but. Although not a country town, Esperence is still a pretty small community by city standards. And has no boundry as to it's beauty.
I was actually interested where you might have heard the stories, my brother does not take much stock in any zoology, and would not have taken much notice of any stories - if I see him in the near future, I will ask if he had heard stories. He still keeps in touch with some of the locals. I do remember excellent fishing, one that got away, it was so big, I am sure it was a Megaldon hehe Just kidding.
Personally, I would shoot on sight. Sure a beautiful animal, but if one actually was in a position to be captured, and it got away, well, how long to prove they exist so how long till it is caught again. Could be the moggie problem with Lions and Puma's, bugger that, our ecosystem is under enough pressure as it is. An alternative course of action may be too risky as we have damaged this country enough. Sure, caught in a well or something, catch, tranq and relocate to it's natural habitat, or Steve Irwins place , otherwise shoot to kill.

Looks like Scotland has one too



Source

Cool story. If only they could catch the Beast of Bodmin Mor.