Hi. Love this stuff.
Im in the middle of our type of thing here in OZ but it utterly fascinates me.
We have Yowie legends here, like big foots. Im on the no go side of those here.
But, we do have Big Cat legends that have some cred.
Native to our land were Tassie Tigers, a marsupial that even though skeletons of them have been found on our mainland, no ever sightings have been recorded since white man landed. They were for sure 100% in Tasmania when white man came. But are considered hunted out and extinct many many decades ago. It is possible given Tasmanias huge wilderness areas they may have adapted to hunting and changed their ways from open land foraging and hunting and gone deep into those wilderness areas. Id love to think they did as they were an awesome creature. I still believe the Tassie Tiger may exist still.
Here though on our Aussie Mainland, they are gone I believe 100%.
But, here on our mainland big introduced Cats I believe adapted.
In our Goldrush days, in the 1800s, the English and American brought to Australia, in Victoria, as sport, big cats to hunt. Our goldrush days were nuts. It was like a circus! Many exotic animals were brought here to show and, to hunt! That is a fact.
Lions, leopards and others. Many were easily shot, Lions especially. They said they didn't roam far and sat as easy targets in open areas. The others, many they said were never seen again. Disappeared into the bush.
Also, US soldiers in the very early 1900s brought mountain lion mascots here. A number are said to have been let loose when they left.
About 20 or so yrs ago a friend took me detecting to an area that was known for out of the usual stock attacks. He knew the farmer where we went.
I have never seen a bigger electric fence in my life as was around that sheep farm near the ranges we went to. It looked like it was to keep out some kind of monster. 8 foot high, numerous wires. Im "what the....is this for!?" He took me to a spot near it next to a huge dead tree. All around it were dozens of sheep bones and carcases. He said "the killing tree".
That was not from dogs, nor foxes. No way dingos either as there are very few if any left in Victoria. A few escaped about 100 ks away in a range from a neglected Dingo park, but this was no dogs. I can assure anyone, those escaped Dingos did not do that as I know personally the farmer where they escaped near, and was shown the pelts from them his son shot and how they killed the sheep.
This was very very different.
Many say they don't exist here now and never did, they 100% did though once, but they say they are gone if they did. From everything iv personally seen I fully believe they adapted and learnt to hunt and hide. I once saw an actual photo taken before digital, of a guy who on his bush property was attacked when he surprised one. He had deep rips all down his front. Anyone would be insane to have faked and slashed themselves like that!
I also saw and was shown a plaster cast by a guy I believe would never lie of a big cat print. It was no domestic cat print.
