To wonder if big cats really can be roaming the countryside?

[Qantaqa]

Local news this morning reports "scratch marks" in trees in area where big cat sightings taken place over last decade.

I totally get that back in the 70s various big cats were released rather than people comply with the new laws coming in, but 50 years later can they really still be there?

Enough might have adapted to live wildly themselves (I assume many didn't, or died from cars etc), but they don't live 50 years so we must be on a 2nd / 3rd generation - surely mating with cross species? Aren't they quite territorial and solitary? Where do the next gen go when they mature? It's not like there is loads and loads of places they can hang out? Even if we didn't see the cats wouldn't there be more signs of them?

Mummy but how would the rangers keep them out of people's way, unless on private property?

Nails I love folklore but haven't come across anything about mammoths.

A friend brought me a fab booklet about myths and creatures in Iceland and I foolishly didn't keep it. It was a few years ago and now I can't remember a thing! I think there's a tale of the Northern Lights thought to be a glittering fox running across the sky.

@NailsForBreakfastTacksForSnacks

That reminds me of DSs favourite joke when he was little.....

Have you ever seen a hippopotamus hiding behind a tree?

No ....... ?

Because they are really good at it!

I'm almost positive that there could be animals in places we don't think there are - hasn't some thought extinct possum or something been found on a BBQ in Papua New Guinea. I mean it might well be extinct now (lol) but clearly wasn't before and wasn't there a prehistoric fish in the depths of the ocean?

And I want big cats to be roaming - I am also fascinated by the idea of the conversations about reintroducing wolves to the UK - I just wonder how they self sustain but over analysing something takes away the magic, so I will take @MummytoA source as acceptable proof and hope I see one (from a far distance) some day.

This whole thread only came about because the group of 7 deer that I usually see in the corner of the horse paddock was only 5 the other day and I wondered where the other 2 had gone and then a few days later the "scratch" mark story came out and I put 2 and 2 together to make 50000 and it set me wondering.

It was a documentary a few years ago. Details of mammoth has been told by pockets of people living in very isolated areas as stories from grandparents etc from the turn of the 20th century. What made it compelling were these people were quite isolated and couldn’t have known the detail that they did that was only known from modern science.
coincidence? probably, but fascinating.

there is a project looking to re wild some areas of Siberia with ancient creatures in a bid to help with global warming. It’s called Pleistocene Park and is extremely fascinating.

pleistocenepark.ru/

and I love the joke @Qantaqa 😂

Big cats are pretty reclusive, they choose to stay hidden and off the beaten track, this area of forest is pretty vast - the rangers simply monitor them to ensure they are not moving in the wrong direction. I don't think they actually need to intervene, if that makes sense.

Mummy with the greatest respect, are you sure this ranger wasn’t just telling tales trying to keep townie people away? It’s the kind of thing a farmer would say to prevent damage to his land. I really cannot imagine anyone ‘hiding’ big cats roaming round the countryside. If they killed/ injured a child or dog the liability would be enormous. You say they are multiple rangers keeping this big secret. One of them could easily make big money selling this as a story. I really think they are having you on.

As I said before, my ‘big’ cat is 8kg and could easily be mistaken for something bigger when he’s in fields.

The mammoth thing is interesting as there may be some viable DNA extracts that could be used to recreate a hybrid. The problem being a female elephant would need to be used in the experiment and I think only dubious people would be prepared to potentially sacrifice an elephant.

I do see what you mean but even if they are tracking them, how would they stop them if they moved?

No, it's true - I'm actually a journalist for the local newspaper but the people involved would never sell the story as it would cause mayhem locally, plus they'd lose their jobs. It's an unspoken secret - I've probably said too much already!

Ok well here’s one theory out of the left fields so to speak!
Just been reading a conspiracy theories book (charity buy so forgive me) and there is a theory- apparently across the uk, Europe, America and Australia, that the big cats which we are seeing in the wild are not escapes of zoos/private owners etc. but are in fact ……. Aliens in cat form who are monitoring us. Given cats are reclusive by nature, and they aren’t in the natural habitat, I would say these are pretty poor undercover aliens agents!!

Maybe one for the film/book? @EmmaEmerald

Don't you think they'd have been picked up on a Web cam by now? Even forest's have trail cams and wildlife cams.

In the Forest of Dean around ten years ago, two big cats (of unknown determination) were caught on camera stalking deer. The Forestry commission have conformed this. There have also been attacks, a boy in Monmouthshire was left with scars on his face from claw marks from a big cat. A quick google shows people coming face to face with them in forests etc.
I find it fascinating. I think I've posted on a previous thread on this about Lara the lynx found on a wall in London. I think they are real and out there (not the ABC's type-alien big cats-that's weird!) I'd love to see one-through glass!

I always thought this was tosh until I saw one on a very narrow country lane about 10 years ago. It came over the hedge on my left, took a stride in the road and jumped over the hedge (or perhaps wall) on my right. It was black and about the size of a Labrador - maybe a little bigger. I sat there for a second trying to convince myself that it was a dog but it wasn’t. Absolutely not! If I hadn’t seen that then I still wouldn’t believe it.
I mentioned it a few days later to some people locally and it turns out there have been several sightings over the years.

@LoveMySituation i know - so weird to also find a conspiracy theory about big cats of all things!! The idea of shape shifting aliens into cats of all things just made me giggle - a lot.

the Monmouthshire boy - would have thought that would have been more newsworthy and much more well known! Hope he was ok.

Just had another look and it seemed well reported on at the time-2000. Gwent police telling people to be careful. I also note the ABC lot have tried to claim it as their own! (how could it leave marks if it wasn't an actual being?!)

Maybe outing, but here we have our very own exotic cat(couldn't call it big!) A jungle cat, found at the side of the road in 1989. It's also speculated to have mated with a few local moggies. It used to be in the museum, stuffed, I saw it not long after moving here as a teenager, but alas now, I think it now resides with the 'inventor' of the ABC's 'theory'. I wonder how it got here originally though?

Was this in 2009? I can't find video, only reports?

It’s this one @EmmaEmerald www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/big-cat-video-shows-panther-26396316.amp, someone shared it up thread but looks like a normal cat??

It highly likely that aliens would chose to be a cat on planet earth. They only need a brief look to see the disproportionate power they weild and how they basically do feck all apart from making themselves feel good. They have even managed to convince powerful countries they are some sort of god and given up on even pretenting to be self sufficient and just let humans meet their needs. It's logical aliens would think this is a good strategy.

is that the one that was a Damart ad?
now I just get "page not found".

I don't like the alien story 😂

I saw a large black cat about 10 years ago in North Yorkshire. I was walking my dogs early one morning and saw it cross a stuble field and go up and over a fence post and into woodland. It was about 50m in front of me and was far too large for a domestic cat but definitely a cat due to how it moved and what it looked like. Yes I had my phone on me but quite frankly I was so stunned by what I was watching that I just watched it rather than film/photograph it.

No the damart ad was one walking on train tracks in Helensburgh. Or at least that was what I was trying to share!

Oh yes
so somehow I am missing the best videos ☹️

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/video-new-midlands-big-cat-26397259
I was looking for the forestry commission cats, but found this instead. It's quite big!

Very good point. But surely a smaller domestic sized cat would be better for infiltration of the human race?! -the number 10 cat comes to mind, not a jaguar/puma/lion/tiger that now basically hides away in our forests.
You want to be cute and cuddly and feed me tuna, not snarly and full claws rip your face off and eat your pets.🤣😳🤣