Britain's 'big cat X files' revealed

There are laws concerning such pets. That's why the initial rush in the 70s happened when the law was enacted, and why there's been a slow trickle of sightings ever since. People get them young, and occasionally one will raise them until they literally can't hide them anymore, then panic and turn them loose.

There are laws concerning such pets. That's why the initial rush in the 70s happened when the law was enacted, and why there's been a slow trickle of sightings ever since. People get them young, and occasionally one will raise them until they literally can't hide them anymore, then panic and turn them loose. I get the sentiment, but I'm not sure that's exactly what's happening. Big cats were much easier to get hold of before the dangerous wild animals act came in... you'd be hard pushed to get hold of one now, and if you could you'd be paying far too much to suddenly panic and let it go. I thi... [More]

There are laws concerning such pets. That's why the initial rush in the 70s happened when the law was enacted, and why there's been a slow trickle of sightings ever since. People get them young, and occasionally one will raise them until they literally can't hide them anymore, then panic and turn them loose. there has to be records somewhere of who owned these pets. why not use these records to track down the owners and ask them what the hell happened to these things?if they admit to letting them losse,arrest them!there has to be laws protecting the public from some idiot releasing a wild anim... [More]

There are no records of illegally-obtained exotic pets. And since exotic pets are usually illegally obtained, there are certain issues with your logic. _

There are no records of illegally-obtained exotic pets. And since exotic pets are usually illegally obtained, there are certain issues with your logic. _ And you'd be amazed of how many illegally obtained pets there are. It's a quite blooming business sadly enough.

could the mysterious black cat sightings be explained with a combination of different occurrances, all contributing to the whole effect? maybe some are sightings of released exotic pets, and some could be contributed by sightings of melanistic animals, such as a black version of the european lynx. it's also not beyond the realm of possibility, unlikely but not impossible, that a melanistic caracal (or a few) traveled from asia into europe and found a home in england. i know this is kinda far-fetched, but so is the thought of an elusive, demon black cat.

The exotic pet trade is the biggest illegal market in the world, right behind drugs and weapons. The majority of black cat sightings I would wager are simply black domestic cats seen at a distance. If viewed in an open area with nothing to judge their size by, such as in an open field, it can be too easy to confuse how large they are. However, there's not a doubt in my mind that there are escaped big cats roaming the English countryside.

There are no records of illegally-obtained exotic pets. And since exotic pets are usually illegally obtained, there are certain issues with your logic. _ that's pretty GD stupid then!you have to have cats and dogs registered and also vaccaniated yearly.wtf would'nt you need to have one for a tiger, lion,or pet snake?

Umm. Because they're illegal. You know, as in not legal, as in taking place outside the system of laws meant to police them. Exotic bird hatchlings are smuggled into the US all the time, hidden in suitcases or hatboxes or anything else that can hold them. Sure, most of them die on the trip, but the smugglers don't care - the three or four out of the ten that survive the trip can be sold for a rather high amount of money since they're illegal to own here - which just means people are willing to pay more for them. I don't really see how you think the illegal pet trade could be policed with regis... [More]

Smuggling animals is like smuggling anything - big business. Exotic Animal Smuggling Busts: Is that a monkey in your pants or are you just happy to see me?! The industry is thought to be worth over $10 billion per year, with smugglers able to charge exorbitant prices for exotic animals. Many of the creatures die in transit, further reducing the numbers of what are frequently endangered animals.“I have monkeys in my pants” Those immortal words were spoken by Robert Cusack in 2004 after one of the more spectacular busts in smuggling history. Cusack only mentioned the baby animals in his trou... [More]