# Panther shot in Victoria!



## Springherp (Oct 9, 2005)

Gidday everyone,

Well we've all heard the stories of the alleged big cats on the loose in the Australian bush.

The phenomenon of sightings have be on going for many years.

The lack of substantial proof has caused many to dismiss the mystery as a myth.

Finally, some conclusive proof has been uncovered as to the existance of big cats roaming the Australian bush.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,16857414%5E661,00.html

People under-estimate the amount of bushland in Oz that is undisturbed by humans. You can fly for hours over parts of Australia without seeing human settlement or impact.

Even bushland close to human settlement can be untouched by humans for years.

By considering the vast expanse of Australia, it makes it easier to contemplate what other elusive beasts could be walking our bushland undescribed by science.

Another good example is the giant squid (Archetuthis). How could something so BIG go for so long without being photographed?

Sorry to rant, but I just figured now was a good time to remind people what researchers with an open-mind and willingness to be ridiculed can discover!  Take a risk!

Cheers


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## beknluke (Oct 9, 2005)

Very interesting!! I have always believed since I saw one in NSW as a kid. Again, another large clack cat - I have no idea if it was a Puma or a Panther but it was in the middle of nowhere and scarred the hell out of my family!!
I know that this is probably just going to get me shot down, but I LOVE big cats - it's a shame that they're not able to be captured and released back where they are native....
Bex


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## Springherp (Oct 9, 2005)

Whereabouts in NSW did you see it?
Have you ever reported it to anyone? 
Can you elaborate on the story a bit more please? 
Thanks bek!


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## diamond_python (Oct 9, 2005)

I know someone (well, used to know them) that saw it probably around 20 + years ago in Maryborough (vic). I hope this evidence does prove their existence as I have always believed it


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## Springherp (Oct 9, 2005)

It unfortunately probably won't prove its existance to alot of people. 
I'm friends with the researcher of this case and he says already people have questioned if the picture is a "photoshop" job, and "How do we know if the DNA you sent came from the animal that was shot?" etc.


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## peterescue (Oct 9, 2005)

It BS. He's out hunting but cant bring back a carcass, He tooled up to take large game(blew the cats head off) so he would have the set up to get it back same as if he got a pig or a deer. If he's trophy shooting he's not gonna use that kind of ammo.
Only has the tail, wheres the paws, the ears, some teeth. The carcass is hanging from a tree so some of it will still be there, In rugged terrain, he's on a bike, cant be to rugged.


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## diamond_python (Oct 9, 2005)

> It unfortunately probably won't prove its existance to alot of people.
> I'm friends with the researcher of this case and he says already people have questioned if the picture is a "photoshop" job, and "How do we know if the DNA you sent came from the animal that was shot?" etc.



I expected this to happen. I hope it turns out to be true. Too many sightings over too many years for it to not be true.


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## Pike01 (Oct 9, 2005)

Looks like am ordinary black cat and has been hung up in the foreground with him in the background to make it look big. Story sounds fishy too, wouldnt you keep the whole thing, instead of chucking it in the river so no one can ever find it.Sounds like crap to me.


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## alexr (Oct 9, 2005)

Hey Austrelaps thanks for sharing... LOVE hearing stories like that! 

Great to finally see a picture. Just did a Google news - hoping to find more info but no such luck.

Anyone found any more pictures??


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## Jason (Oct 9, 2005)

interesting cant wiat for the DNA results, but as said its a bit fishy and i agree if i found a find like that, i wouldnt have thrown it in the river, i would have found a way to get it back to camp or even go get it when i was able to, but an interesting article regardless.


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## Springherp (Oct 9, 2005)

http://web5.streamhoster.com/ozestrange/cat.html


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## Guest (Oct 9, 2005)

Looks like domestic cat paws also a hunter of any experiance would not dispose of the carcass in the river!
Wouldnt change ammo for the big cat looks like 303 and that would take a domestic cats head off not a big cat. too many things dont add up.


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## indicus (Oct 9, 2005)

Maybe cat crap for sure....who really knows?
We've all heard stories for years; and still have'nt got one.
Considering this; i spent sometime working out west (near Gregory- Lawn Hill) Northern Queensland.
I found it very hard to reason with the station owners, as to what has happened there for years now.
They all; including the stockmen there; describe cattle killed, beheaded, and in some cases carcusses dragged into trees.....one chopper poilet and his spotter; firm in their beliefs; related a story to me; off them seeing one at close range, while mustering....I asked the owners why they had not taken the matter further and reported sighting's to a relevent government dept....The response was a stirn ..'like bloody-hell; the last we need is somebody turning this place into a reserve for damn cats etc'.....
Who am i to say?, i dont know.... i'm still waiting for some pic's to be sent to me :roll:


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## beknluke (Oct 9, 2005)

I have no idea where I was, all I know is that we were on a proper road with bushland either side of us. That's all my sister remembers and thanx to a bad childhood, my Mums memory barely exists of the time we lived up there. Either way, it was at around 1987.
I say goodluck to thpse who CAN prove if they're out there though...
Bex


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## ether (Oct 9, 2005)

If it was so big how did he string it up in the first place and who took the photo. Anyone with half a brain would have left it there and gotten other people to help him move it etc, instead of dumping it...

Cheers


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## danw (Oct 9, 2005)

they finally caught one..My Dad's uncle also swore he saw one about 30 years ago on the NSW South Coast I think!


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## peterescue (Oct 9, 2005)

My giraffe cause all sorts of confusion.


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## Parko (Oct 9, 2005)

Lmao, who would be stupid enough to throw a panther carcass in the river? Why the river? What would possibly drive him to throw a discovery like that into a river? That is the real mystery lol, does the mystery dumbass panther hunter really exist? Or is he just a myth? Can a hunter really be that stupid, very hard to believe, i need proof of his lack of intelligence.


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## diamond_python (Oct 9, 2005)

I agree with the river thing. Does sound fishy but I hope it is true


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## africancichlidau (Oct 9, 2005)

> I agree with the river thing. Does sound fishy but I hope it is true



Most rivers ARE fishy, unless badly polluted. :mrgreen:


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## Retic (Oct 9, 2005)

The same stories have been circulating England for 30 years or more, there are numerous photo's and even video of these cats. They reckon they were released when they introduced the Dangerous Wild Animals Act which made people get licences for these animals and of course escapes from zoos and parks back when security isn't up to the standards of today.
Having visted Fritz Mahtens (sp) 'park' many years ago in Victoria I would believe anything was possible. He had big cats in terrible badly built small cages. He also had a badly emaciated obviously wild caught BHP in an unlocked little cage, we were going to pinch it for it's own good but chickened out, wish we had.


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## Parko (Oct 9, 2005)

I'm not disputing whether or not panthers are roaming the aussie bush, i live in the heart of ''Lithgow Panther'' country, except our local version is the ''Tarana tiger'' which some say is a mainland thylacine, who knows, what we do know is their are a lot of nutty storytellers out for a bit of attention cause mum didn't quite love them enough, or mum loved them too much. It's a bit like religion, will u accept it because u ''hope'' it's true? Would u not accept it because u hope it's not true? Or would u not really care because the V8's are racing around a track right now as we speak? Go the Holdens.


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## Jonny (Oct 9, 2005)

Parko said:


> Lmao, who would be stupid enough to throw a panther carcass in the river? Why the river? What would possibly drive him to throw a discovery like that into a river? That is the real mystery lol, does the mystery dumbass panther hunter really exist? Or is he just a myth? Can a hunter really be that stupid, very hard to believe, i need proof of his lack of intelligence.



It is common for hunters to put shot game into a river, especially in victoria where the rivers are very cold with the water originating from the alps. This is done with deer to chill the meat to prevent it going bad. It also stops flies from laying eggs on the carcass.

With the cat it probably would be to make sure the hair didnt slip (fall out) if he wanted to turn it into a rug or get it taxidermed.

weather its genuine or not????

cheers

Jonny


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## Jay (Oct 9, 2005)

So many sightings it has to be true?!?! Damn! I better get prepared for those little flying saucers landing :shock: 

Im a big fan of Cryptozoology and understand that we dont know what is left to be discovered (Hell we dont even know the reservoir species for the Ebola virus, and weve hacked open everything you could think of!) but without definative proof like and actual carcass brought in it gets by same interest as the 'definitive yeah I saw it alright' accounts of the Chupacabra, Wendigo, Yeti, Big Foot, Pleasiosaur, Vampires,Wraiths, Ghosts..........basically theirs just sooo much.lol


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## nathanbrisvegas (Oct 9, 2005)

what does eveyone think of yowies?


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## Guest (Oct 9, 2005)

I met a yowie once, i was out on a date with a chick called nessie from scotland.


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## apple (Oct 9, 2005)

One of my very sane mates truly believes he saw a yowie in Coffs Harbour.


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## herptrader (Oct 9, 2005)

diamond_python said:


> I agree with the river thing. Does sound fishy but I hope it is true



It is an old deer hunters trick for preserving the carcase. It keeps the flies and their maggots off as well as keeping the meat cool.

What I am unsure about is why he removed the tail. It is not like there is a bounty on them and you needed to hand in the tail as proof of capture.


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## herptrader (Oct 9, 2005)

There is hope for the Tassie Tiger yet!


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## Parko (Oct 9, 2005)

I got the impression from the story that the carcass is not recoverable, if he has indeed done the ol deer hunters trick(tricky nickies those deer hunters are) then he would have assured that he could recover the whole carcass right?


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## MrBredli (Oct 9, 2005)

And in other news, police are searching for a man after an attack on a panther at Melbourne Zoo overnight. Police believe the man broke into the zoo between 10pm-5am and entered the panther enclosure. Evidence left at the scene suggests the man ?took advantage? of the poor defenceless panther as it slept. When the panther awoke the man attacked the panther. During the struggle the panther?s tail was severed, and as yet, has not been recovered. Police believe the man responsible is crazy as cat poo and probably lives by himself in the middle of the bush, and most likely does not encounter women very often. Police ask that anyone who sees this man (or the tail) runs?


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## diamond_python (Oct 10, 2005)

> Most rivers ARE fishy, unless badly polluted



I was waiting to see who would make the first comment on my post. Should have guessed it would be you.   



> There is hope for the Tassie Tiger yet!



I was thinking the same thing


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Oct 10, 2005)

knew it was a fake as soon as i saw the pic and read the story..
must be a slow news week


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## herptrader (Oct 10, 2005)

Without a carcase it does sound somewhat sus!


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## Retic (Oct 10, 2005)

My understanding was that he threw it in the river to dispose of it with no intention of retrieving it. The photo looks very odd now I have seen it again. He is right in the background and the cat is right in the forground, a very obvious simple trick.


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## Morelia_Hunter (Oct 10, 2005)

There are very few bullets around that could take an animals head off these days. I know that for a fact as I have never seen an animals head taken off in a hunt, I am from South Africa and have never seen this. Hunting is really big in my country. You are talking some serious firepower, and you are not allowed to have this in oz!


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## foxysnake (Oct 10, 2005)

However there are plenty of bullets that would easily behead a domestic cat, which is what that photo looks like it has in it - someone's pet kitty.


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## moosenoose (Oct 10, 2005)

peterescue said:


> It BS. He's out hunting but cant bring back a carcass, He tooled up to take large game(blew the cats head off) so he would have the set up to get it back same as if he got a pig or a deer. If he's trophy shooting he's not gonna use that kind of ammo.
> Only has the tail, wheres the paws, the ears, some teeth. The carcass is hanging from a tree so some of it will still be there, In rugged terrain, he's on a bike, cant be to rugged.



I haven't read all of the posts, but I am lol

I agree with you 100% Peter. This bloke sounds like a real tosser! But apparently the "professional" *insert snickering here* hunter threw the carcass in the river............4 months ago!!!! :shock: 

Sounds like BS, Smells like BS, I would dare say it is BS! :wink:


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## Fuscus (Oct 10, 2005)

The photo to me looks like the standard "Fish" photo, put the catch in the foreground to make it look bigger. I have seen heaps of feral cats lately, most appear a lot bigger than the average cat but no where near a puma size.


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## herptrader (Oct 10, 2005)

One plus is that hunters may be now more included to take out the odd feral cat or two (or million).

It will be interesting to see what the genetic testing on the tail comes back with. Alas that leaves us with 3 weeks of idle speculation.


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## Fuscus (Oct 10, 2005)

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,16866186%5E2862,00.html


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## Jay (Oct 10, 2005)

Maybe the guys just really really really short


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## instar (Oct 10, 2005)

whatever it may have been, its a shame he had to kill it., any followup story on the dna analysis? definate id? as for dumping in a river, thts just weird, why do that, pollute the river, yes itll rot ,fish will feed but still. couldve left the carcase on the ground for the elements and nature to dispose of, or handed the lot in for easier id. 
on the other hand the old chap is from victoria!


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## Springherp (Oct 10, 2005)

> what does eveyone think of yowies?



I'm prepared to be criticised, but, I challenge any skeptic to spend a few nights camped in the bush up here in the Mountains. I guarantee your perspective on alot of things will change! 8) [/i]


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## Sdaji (Oct 10, 2005)

I know if I shot a panther I'd be hanging it up in a tree before throwing it into a river... and then I know I'd wait four months before picking the tail out of my pack and telling anyone about it or getting the DNA checked  I would also leave the paws, teeth and any other easily identified bits behind... just in case... I seemed credible. You know how it is, people who see aliens, the virgin Mary, Yowies, Yettis, panthers and honest politicians... the stories are always vague and inconclusive, this guy was just keeping with the customs, nothing to do with it being false, it's just -tradition- to leave things inconclusive if they are lies, er, paranormal truths  Don't believe the WILD FANTASIES of those who think people might conjur stories up to get attention or a few laughs, these people are just trying to fool you! :lol: It isn't possible to fool anyone these days anyway, no one would fall for photoshopped pictures or the anectodes of some random attention seeker!


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## Brodie (Oct 10, 2005)

Thats a rather ignorant thing to say for someone who is interested in science....


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## nathanbrisvegas (Oct 10, 2005)

i still beleive that they are out there  the same with yowies and all hte other things i once watched a show on animal planet they were trying to track a monster lizard from aussies interior and iteveiwed a bus load of people who said they seen a lizard on the side of the road that stood 3 m high and was at least 10 m long now that would be a awesome lizard


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## Dicco (Oct 10, 2005)

nathanbrisvegas said:


> i still beleive that they are out there  the same with yowies and all hte other things i once watched a show on animal planet they were trying to track a monster lizard from aussies interior and iteveiwed a bus load of people who said they seen a lizard on the side of the road that stood 3 m high and was at least 10 m long now that would be a awesome lizard



People also see metre long blue tongues, and 30 foot Great Whites


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## Parko (Oct 10, 2005)

Yeah hey i'm as bored with the world as anyone else and would love to believe in all kinds of cool creatures, in particular sirens, mermaids and female vampires, imagine walking thru the scrub, hearing an amazingly beautiful song, following the song and finding a lusty babe waiting for a bloke to... anyway u get the picture. That doesn't mean i'm going to accept wild fantasies as fact without solid evidence.
I like to think Yeti's, big foot, yowie monsters etc are small surviving pockets of primitive homoerectus, though not related to homo sapiens, like those little dudes they found the corpses of in indonesia this year, they called them hobbits because of their small size Lol, anyone remember that news item?


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## splitty (Oct 10, 2005)

> and 30 foot Great Whites



Thats not so unbelievable !!!!!!


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## Dicco (Oct 10, 2005)

Haha, maybe in Jaws, but considering they usually get to 12 for a nice sized one, I find 30 foot a little funny


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## nathanbrisvegas (Oct 10, 2005)

no i dont remember the hobits but i would love it if there were little human communities we could build and the could clean my room for me and i could let me accies go throught theyre miniatre town and terrorise them lol :twisted:


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## Parko (Oct 10, 2005)

Dicco said:


> Haha, maybe in Jaws, but considering they usually get to 12 for a nice sized one, I find 30 foot a little funny



Nah 12 foot is still a neon tetra for a great white. Largest caught to date was 23 foot i believe. So it may be conceivable that 30 footers are out there??


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## Parko (Oct 10, 2005)

nathanbrisvegas said:


> no i dont remember the hobits but i would love it if there were little human communities we could build and the could clean my room for me and i could let me accies go throught theyre miniatre town and terrorise them lol :twisted:


 Lmao, that would be fun wouldn't it, a game i could really enjoy with the kids. :lol:


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## nathanbrisvegas (Oct 10, 2005)

=quote=Lmao, that would be fun wouldn't it, a game i could really enjoy with the kids. =quote=

yer i thought so too sick but fun :twisted:


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## Parko (Oct 10, 2005)

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1027_041027_homo_floresiensis.html
Here ya go kids, a link to the hobbit discovery if u care to read it, according to the news story that hit the media a while back inhabitants of remote villages in indonesia believed they were still around only 500 years ago, and there are also records of the dutch settlers at that time having seen them. Believe it or not these wee little folk existed once, til when is the question...


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## ether (Oct 10, 2005)

It's a migit with a pocket bike and a large domestic cat LMAO

Cheers


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