Big Cat Sighting

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Apart from the white line ,look at the ears .No big cat has pointed ,pricked ears .That’s a house ,feral all day long and the blokes a lying pretender .

[mackem 26,182]

1 minute ago, foxdropper said:

White lines are 100mm .250 double from outside to outside ,thems the regs

Those are 17cm lines, he measured them, people were passing shouting look there's a dead leopard on the road but he had the wrong lens on and didn't think to step back to get the 9ft body in frame or put the cat into his car boot there and then so as to have the holy grail, a dead UK leopard. 

[Greyman 28,085]

4 minutes ago, foxdropper said:

Read my post again Arry and digest before making assumptions .

I don’t know anyone who’s seen a large cat so cannot comment on the type of people that do .

Is there a regular type Do some just like to be heard ,do some think it’s cool or do some just see something and the brain tells it it’s something else .

Can’t answer that tbh Arry so what do you think .

Personally I think you’ve seen something but don’t want to appear weird

Is there a regular type              Yes proper hunters and proper country folk not internet pretenders

[Arry 21,380]

13 minutes ago, foxdropper said:

Personally I think you’ve seen something but don’t want to appear weird

Read my posts again mate I have all way stated I have never seen a Big Cat.

But how ever I do trust my mates.

When they said they seen it they seen it sometimes two people watching at the same time seen the same thing. None of them to a man or woman has reported their sights to the media a Big cat site so what the motive? Most will only give an account if asked. They are either farmers or hunting/fishing people country folk.

All the sighting were in the Southhams area which is 342 Square miles with  many river valleys a lot of these valleys are heavily wooded. Dartmoor is 342 square miles although I don't believe there are many Big cats right up on the Moor. In fact imo maybe 3 or 4 in the whole of Devon 2590 Square miles and Cornwall which also gets a few sighting 1376 square miles. So quite an area to hide in if they don't want to be seen.

The reason I believe we don't get the road kills they get in other countries I believe is population per square miles if you get my drift. Plus at least down here we only have one major spine road the rest being A and B road and most just lanes no where the width of some of the foreign motorways.

Now we all know there are loads otters out there but many people have never seen one. I've only seen two.

I'm not connected to any Big Cat sights the only person I have talked to is GM at the fishing comp in that field so to speak and he's a good guy with some interesting info. You would do well to have a meet up with him imo.

Now saying thing like the people are mistaken, loony's, or Liars is insulting to me as it's my fiend you are talking about. With out ever meeting them you are judging them because they have seen something you haven't.

Cheers Arry

[shaaark 10,694]

4 hours ago, forest of dean redneck said:

An the fact their bug eyed snappy little feckers

Yeah, and that lol

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

1 hour ago, Arry said:

Read my posts again mate I have all way stated I have never seen a Big Cat.

But how ever I do trust my mates.

When they said they seen it they seen it sometimes two people watching at the same time seen the same thing. None of them to a man or woman has reported their sights to the media a Big cat site so what the motive? Most will only give an account if asked. They are either farmers or hunting/fishing people country folk.

All the sighting were in the Southhams area which is 342 Square miles with  many river valleys a lot of these valleys are heavily wooded. Dartmoor is 342 square miles although I don't believe there are many Big cats right up on the Moor. In fact imo maybe 3 or 4 in the whole of Devon 2590 Square miles and Cornwall which also gets a few sighting 1376 square miles. So quite an area to hide in if they don't want to be seen.

The reason I believe we don't get the road kills they get in other countries I believe is population per square miles if you get my drift. Plus at least down here we only have one major spine road the rest being A and B road and most just lanes no where the width of some of the foreign motorways.

Now we all know there are loads otters out there but many people have never seen one. I've only seen two.

I'm not connected to any Big Cat sights the only person I have talked to is GM at the fishing comp in that field so to speak and he's a good guy with some interesting info. You would do well to have a meet up with him imo.

Now saying thing like the people are mistaken, loony's, or Liars is insulting to me as it's my fiend you are talking about. With out ever meeting them you are judging them because they have seen something you haven't.

Cheers Arry

Not judging anyone Arry just trying to get my head round it all and the people who have seen them are part of that issue .The fact I havnt seen one makes no odds to me at all either way .I’ve seen things many others havnt including leopards in their real habitat in Africa ,lions and cheetah so in doing so I realise what sort of ask it is to place a leopard size cat in our countryside then apparently get no real sign as to its being there .

Those who havnt seen an otter arnt looking mate or arnt interested ,they are getting pretty easy to find here if you know where to look .

All these numbers bandied about are a bit stupid without a shred of anything to back it up .Sightings mean nothing to anyone without a digital back up to pick out individuals .

You mentioned the size of the roads which is silly .There’s an otter ,polecat and some sort of small cat dead on the roads within two miles of my house and polecats in particular are very uncommon here ,otters not so .All on tiny side roads which get average traffic .I’m afraid the against far outway the fors but just my opinion .

Im meeting GM in the spring so I’m sure he will tell me all the up to date stuff on it .

As I’ve said before I’m not against the idea ,just need convincing beyond all doubt .

[paulus 26]

3 minutes ago, foxdropper said:

Not judging anyone Arry just trying to get my head round it all and the people who have seen them are part of that issue .The fact I havnt seen one makes no odds to me at all either way .I’ve seen things many others havnt including leopards in their real habitat in Africa ,lions and cheetah so in doing so I realise what sort of ask it is to place a leopard size cat in our countryside then apparently get no real sign as to its being there .

Those who havnt seen an otter arnt looking mate or arnt interested ,they are getting pretty easy to find here if you know where to look .

All these numbers bandied about are a bit stupid without a shred of anything to back it up .Sightings mean nothing to anyone without a digital back up to pick out individuals .

You mentioned the size of the roads which is silly .There’s an otter ,polecat and some sort of small cat dead on the roads within two miles of my house and polecats in particular are very uncommon here ,otters not so .All on tiny side roads which get average traffic .I’m afraid the against far outway the fors but just my opinion .

Im meeting GM in the spring so I’m sure he will tell me all the up to date stuff on it .

As I’ve said before I’m not against the idea ,just need convincing beyond all doubt .

Anyone wanting to see an otter just nip down to the local canal after dark and walk the towpath. They use the canal systems as highways and are full of one of there favourite foods, The signal cray.  

[Greyman 28,085]

2 minutes ago, paulus said:

Anyone wanting to see an otter just nip down to the local canal after dark and walk the towpath. They use the canal systems as highways and are full of one of there favourite foods, The signal cray.  

Most of the otters and polecats are from reared and released animals, going back a few years I found 6 dead otters in the canal I,m on were these idiots let them go in a shipping canal which has shear metal sides and they just swam until they drowned because they couldn’t climb out I,ve also found another load on a road that ran alongside a little dyke with no fish in it they let them go there and they ate all the ducks then crossed the main road and met there end, I think the few that have survived and bred have now given us a more naturalised population I still see them on the canal I live but they now know were all the tributarys are and seem to live in the  areas around the mouths of the small rivers that enter the canal, polecats I went from never seeing one to catching 11 on a trail cam I had on a motorway underpass have seen some quite big dog polecats over the last few years

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

2 hours ago, Greyman said:

Is there a regular type              Yes proper hunters and proper country folk not internet pretenders

Why does it need to be hunters and country folk .Surely 99% of the populous knows when a cat is bigger than a house cat .I don’t get the stereo type your trying for here .Plenty of Internet pretenders mate .Only got to look in your own ranks to see why so many of us can’t take it seriously .

I read an article where your mate Minter submitted a piece of evidence to a scientist who categorically stated yes it was from a big cat ,probably a puma but then another independent chap ,also a forensic scientist had a look and stated it was house cat .

So one of them is telling porkies if that’s where are going with it all or was one just mistakenly mislead ?.

It all falls nicely in the yes camp in that if it isn’t there it can’t be proven so it falls to the yes camp to provide something we can all agree on or the whole issue is a non starter ,damp squib that even you lads don’t take too seriously .

Ive said it before but let’s  just say we were having this discussion about polecats ,you saying they arnt here ,me saying they are ,I wouldn’t say a word until I had compiled a file on data that proved without a doubt the existence of wild polecats in Wiltshire including date stamped pics ,grid references and trail cam vids including gps setting on show  ,road kills and skins etc but we are to believe a myth based on very shady  info that cannot be verified ,apparently needs no second opinion nor is the study of any official body .Polecats have been studied at length by Bristol university as part of an introduction plan and despite the low numbers they have full data of un chipped individuals in our area ,all freely available on request .

It seems big cats in the uk arnt worthy of any org getting involved which speaks volumes to me and others .Do you not think a study would of been undertaken if it were true and please don’t say it’s not in the public interest as that’s just untrue .The wild boar in the forest were at first classed as dangerous so a study was undertaken regards human ,boar interaction and they were deemed borderline unless threatened .All this is online mate and done by those with the time and gear to study critters 24/7 .

If Dartmoor has just the one big cat it would be known and the info would be available to all through the national trust etc .

If you really want to convince others which is very apparent that you do ,then please take the time and effort to back up that which you want us to believe in without name calling or trying to make out your the only one who gets out because that’s shite .

 

 

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

28 minutes ago, Greyman said:

Most of the otters and polecats are from reared and released animals, going back a few years I found 6 dead otters in the canal I,m on were these idiots let them go in a shipping canal which has shear metal sides and they just swam until they drowned because they couldn’t climb out I,ve also found another load on a road that ran alongside a little dyke with no fish in it they let them go there and they ate all the ducks then crossed the main road and met there end, I think the few that have survived and bred have now given us a more naturalised population I still see them on the canal I live but they now know were all the tributarys are and seem to live in the  areas around the mouths of the small rivers that enter the canal, polecats I went from never seeing one to catching 11 on a trail cam I had on a motorway underpass have seen some quite big dog polecats over the last few years

Do you know which org did the release mate as that’s not guidelines at all to just tip to them out on a body of water .They we’re housed in an artificial holt here with a cage round it ,fed ,then released when they recognise their surroundings .You want to report that to Natural England Paul .

According to the data I’ve read on polecats they were randomly released in areas of rabbit population which is no mean feat to find here at the moment .

They have done the research and found this worked .Will be martins next Im told which I can’t wait for despite the negative frowns from poultry keepers .

Just to add to my previous post ,according to my ranger mate in FOD there are 122 trail cams  of theirs in the forest plus other hunter interests but alas not one pic of an apex predator on theirs despite the abundance of both boar and deer .

Cans have been operational for 7 years .He’s aware of the apparent sighting during a census study but it was apparently stood in front a feeder Hes at a loss as why a dam never picked it up as there 3 in that location .

[paulus 26]

2 hours ago, Greyman said:

Most of the otters and polecats are from reared and released animals, going back a few years I found 6 dead otters in the canal I,m on were these idiots let them go in a shipping canal which has shear metal sides and they just swam until they drowned because they couldn’t climb out I,ve also found another load on a road that ran alongside a little dyke with no fish in it they let them go there and they ate all the ducks then crossed the main road and met there end, I think the few that have survived and bred have now given us a more naturalised population I still see them on the canal I live but they now know were all the tributarys are and seem to live in the  areas around the mouths of the small rivers that enter the canal, polecats I went from never seeing one to catching 11 on a trail cam I had on a motorway underpass have seen some quite big dog polecats over the last few years

Never seen a polecat on a canal here. Have seen a few large dog mink though, The metal stanchioning that they used to edge the canal here years ago, was directly responsible for the demise of the water Vole, Luckily they replaced it with wooden ones some years later and Voles are now becoming a common site. Otters use the canals as part of there nomadic lifestyle, There's a few ponds around here that are short distances overland from the canal that have had there fish stock decimated. One had grass carp in, that had been in there since i was a kid, They killed the lot within a fortnight. Since then they have moved to a fishing complex about 1/2 a mile further down the canal and again a short distance overland from the canal, they would sometimes come over to the ex claypit i was bailiff on, But the appeared to not like the deeper water or maybe there are fewer crays in there due to the depth. I went to asda in one of the local towns. A small river cuts through the car park. whilst waiting for the Mrs i saw tracks and a slide in the mud at the side of the tunnel it passes through, These are not released otters but locally bred ones, In fact last summer an otter and cub was spotted early evening on the canal not 4 miles from here, 

[mackem 26,182]

6 minutes ago, paulus said:

 last summer an otter and cub was spotted early evening on the canal 

I used to watch an otter family, both parents and a couple of cubs in a lake quite often earlier this year. 

[EDDIE B 3,159]

4 minutes ago, mackem said:

I used to watch an otter family, both parents and a couple of cubs in a lake quite often earlier this year. 

Lough Ness?

[paulus 26]

4 minutes ago, mackem said:

I used to watch an otter family, both parents and a couple of cubs in a lake quite often earlier this year. 

The clay pit i am on about is 15 - 18ft deep in the side. I have a spot where i know there's a good chance of seeing one, Its where a local sewerage farms realises its warm sand filtered water back into a local river via a small tributary, 

[Greyman 28,085]

23 minutes ago, paulus said:

Never seen a polecat on a canal here. Have seen a few large dog mink though, The metal stanchioning that they used to edge the canal here years ago, was directly responsible for the demise of the water Vole, Luckily they replaced it with wooden ones some years later and Voles are now becoming a common site. Otters use the canals as part of there nomadic lifestyle, There's a few ponds around here that are short distances overland from the canal that have had there fish stock decimated. One had grass carp in, that had been in there since i was a kid, They killed the lot within a fortnight. Since then they have moved to a fishing complex about 1/2 a mile further down the canal and again a short distance overland from the canal, they would sometimes come over to the ex claypit i was bailiff on, But the appeared to not like the deeper water or maybe there are fewer crays in there due to the depth. I went to asda in one of the local towns. A small river cuts through the car park. whilst waiting for the Mrs i saw tracks and a slide in the mud at the side of the tunnel it passes through, These are not released otters but locally bred ones, In fact last summer an otter and cub was spotted early evening on the canal not 4 miles from here, 

I think it was the release of thousands of mink that caused the demise of the watervole population as they were able to follow them into there burrows and wipe them out the balance is now swinging back as otters won’t share water with mink and as they have returned and spread the mink are being wiped out by the otters, nature suffers not feast nor famine leave it alone and it will maintain a natural balance, when I had a lake on the Somerset levels in the late 90s I would suffer otter attacks whenever the rivers were in flood and I’ve only seen polecats in woodland not on the canal

Edited December 10, 2022 by Greyman