Phantom cat

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Phantom cats or alien big cats (ABCs) are a phenomenon of Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. The reported sightings, tracks and injuries indicate large felines, like exotic panthers or pumas. In some cases the evidence or concerns have been taken seriously by the authorities. The actual coining of the word "phantom panthers" occurred in the works of cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, during his 1970s' investigations and writings on reports of large black mystery felids and massive maned cats in North America.

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UK

Since the 1960s there have been many sightings of big cats across Great Britain. An unusual concentration of sightings are in the southwestern region of England.

See British Big Cats

Australia

Sightings of exotic big cats in Australia started more than 100 years ago.

In the Gippsland region of south-eastern Victoria, the culprit is claimed to be American World War II airmen who brought pumas with them as pets. Again, no evidence has been found other than shady sightings and dead livestock which could well have been killed by dog packs.

Claimed sightings of big cats and their effects have instigated government studies of the Grampian Mountains Pumas in Victoria, and the Blue Mountains panther and Lithgow Panther in New South Wales. Template:See also

The Netherlands

In 2005 a black puma was allegedly spotted on several occasions in a wildlife preserve, but the animal, nicknamed Winnie, was later identified as an unusually large crossbreed between a domestic and a wild cat.

New Zealand

Since the late 1990s, big cat sightings have been reported in widely separated parts of New Zealand, in both the North and South Islands. There have been several panther sightings in Mid-Canterbury near Ashburton and in the nearby foothills of the Southern Alps, but searches conducted there in 2003 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry found no corroborating physical evidence.

Hawaii

Legendary stories of "mystery big cats" on the island of Maui have been circulating since the late 1980s. In December 2002, sightings of a big cat increased in number in the Kula (upcountry) area, and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife requested the help of big cat wildlife biologists William Van Pelt and Stan Cunningham of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. It is theorized that a large feline cat was brought illegally into Hawaii as a pet and released (or more likely, allowed to wander) in the wild. The big cat managed to elude traps, infrared cameras, and professional trackers. A fur sample was obtained in 2003 but DNA analysis was inconclusive. Experts speculate that the big cat may be either a Jaguar, Leopard or Mountain Lion.

See also

External links

Australia

Denmark

New Zealand

U. K.

United States