The Bag is Alive……

28^th August

Leicestershire BCIB representative Donna Brown reports:

I received a phone call from a very worried lady (OAP) tonight..She was worried by a large black animal that was moving about in her hedge at the bottom of her garden, because she was only a few miles away I decided to have a look.

When I reached the location I could see the outline of something black fairly big in the hedge, I waited inside the bungalow for about 1/2 hr and this thing had’t moved so I decided to go out and have a closer look, I walked right up to it picked it up and plonked it in her bin…still chuckling about it now, the look on the poor woman`s face when I went out and picked it up – have you guessed yet!!!!  Yes it was a case of the local black bin liner… I think she felt a bit embarrassed, so I reassured her

by explaining we have had sightings what people thought was bin liners and they actually turned out to be a large cat..

I dream of tracking down Scotland’s mystery animals, says Big Cat Diary host

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/editors-choice/2009/08/28/i-dream-of-tracking-down-scotland-s-mystery-animals-says-big-cat-diary-host-86908-21630577/

 

Aug 28 2009 By Heather Greenaway 

TOP wildlife expert Jonathan Scott dreams of capturing Scotland’s mysterious big cats on film by using African trackers to locate their lairs.

There are more than 120 big cat sightings in Scotland every year.

Broadcaster and photographer Jonathan, 60, star of hit BBC series Big Cat Diary, is convinced they do exist.

He said: “There is no doubt in my mind that there are big cats wandering around Scotland as cats are extremely clever creatures and can survive for years without being glimpsed by the human eye.

“I would love to bring a team of African trackers over to Scotland.

“They have lots of experience tracking lions, leopards and cheetahs and might be able to flush out these amazing and mysterious beasts.

” It would make great TV if we could capture them on film for the first time.”

The British Big Cats Society has recorded more than 2100 sightings of pumas, panthers, lynxes and other cats in Britain, with 125 of those claimed to be in Scotland. There have been various photographs and video of alleged big cats, including the mysterious Beast of Braemar, but no conclusive evidence.

Jonathan, who is married to Big Cat Diary photographer Angie, 56, revealed his dream on the day it emerged BBC bosses have decided to scrap the show.

For more than a decade the Scotts have been following lions, cheetahs and leopards across Kenya’s Masai Mara but for the first time in 13 years, no new series has been commissioned.

Jonathan and Angie still follow the cats, though, and have now produced an amazing book, Stars of Big Cat Diary.

Jonathan hopes the book’s stunning photos will be some comfort to the show’s millions of fans. He said: “It is sad that a 13-year run of Big Cat Diary has now been broken.

“The series raised huge interest worldwide in the wildlife of East Africa and gave a boost to conservation efforts there.

“I think it would be absolutely daft if the BBC did not bring it back.

“It has millions of fans worldwide. Perhaps a public outcry would make them commission another series.”

Jonathan, who first pitched his tent in the Mara in 1975 as a zoology graduate on a backpacking trip, says 90 per cent of the photos are by his wife, whom he met and married in Kenya.

The dad-of-two said: “Angie has an intuitive instinct about where to find the animals.Without her, we would often find nothing to shoot but grass.

“I have two favourite pictures in the book, both taken by Angie. The first is of a young male lion squaring up to his father. As they bare their teeth, you can tell immediately, which one is the stronger. A new day is coming when the older is going to have to make way for the younger. My second is of a cheetah in mid-flight, chasing a wildebeest. The movement in this photo is remarkable.”

Jonathan, who studied zoology at Queens University in Belfast, has an emotional attachment to the cats.

He said: “Like most of the world, I fell in love with cheetah cub Toto. He represented the spirit of survival and the tenacity of life.We never found out what killed him but he did well to survive so long. We all broke our hearts when he disappeared without a trace.”

Jonathan, who grew up idolising Sir David Attenborough, added: “My scariest moment was when I was chased by a hippo, running faster than Usain Bolt.

“I remember taking pictures over my shoulder and thinking – at least people will see how I died.”

Stars Of The Big Cat Diary by Evans Mitchell Books is in all good bookshops from today, priced £19.99.

Sheffield Big Cat Conference

Rick Minter reports:

I’m doing a big cat workshop at the event below. It’s a gathering of wildlife researchers and practitioners who deal in things controlling invasive plants, and in grey squirrel management etc. I know the convenor and he suggested I do a talk and discussion on big cats, as well as the current debate on reintroducing large predators, including lynx. It will be interesting to see the reaction of these scientists – will let you know how it goes.

Exotic and Invasive Plants and Animals: Alien, Invasive, Urban and Problem Species in relation to development, economic and environmental quality.

Sheffield Hallam University, Stoddart Building

 Tuesday and Wednesday 8^th & 9^th September 2009

 

Registration for the Evening Workshop Forum on big cats and large predators is at 6.30 p.m. on the 8th September.

Tooth found in Scotland, can you identify it.

This tooth was recently found in a quarry in Scotland, can you identify it?

 

Latest Big Cat News

Big Cat Spotters Head for Leicestershire    http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/ingnews88.htm

Is a Panther on the Prowl in Leicestershire?  http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/ingnews86.htm

Big Cat Update   http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/ingnews85.htm

‘Panther’ Spotted on the Streets of Lancashire http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/ingnews87.htm

Have you seen the Mystery Cat?     http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/ingnews74.htm

Cop Stopped in his Tracks by a Big Cat      http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/scotnews344.htm

Big Cat Filmed near Scottish Military Base http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/scotnews342.htm

Big Cat Snapped by Dog Handlers (2) http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/scotnews361.htm

Big Cat Snapped by Dog Handlers http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/scotnews360.htm

‘Big Cat’ Snapped by Military Policeman Prowling near Faslane http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/scotnews343.htm

Big Cat Sighting in Helensburgh http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/scotnews346.htm

Off-Duty Police Officer Videos Big Cat http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/scotnews340.htm

Unidentified ‘Big Cat’ Filmed near Military Base http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/scotnews341.htm

Was a Panther Seen in Pollok Park? http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/scotnews350.htm

Big Cats on the Prowl http://www.bigcatsinbritain.org/scotnews349.htm

 

For the whole list of stories visit www.bigcatsinbritain.org

Trail Cams –Notes and Pointers

I have been looking at trail cameras for a while now and the digital cameras are definitely the way to go.  Many of them now have great battery life and hold up to 2GB SD/compact flash cards, so they can store thousands of images. The other advantage is that if you don’t have to wait for photos to come back to work out if you have your positioning correct.  That way you won’t get a weeks worth of prints of waving, windswept branches or high levels of sun flare from facing the camera into the rising/setting sun! 

Cabela’s have very good profiles on their range of trail cameras, but TrailCamPro is better still.   Cabela’s can be prone to negative product reviews submitted by competitors, but you can work out the valid complaints if you see the same issues repeated throughout customer reviews.   TrailCamPro have very good articles on what type of camera requirements are most relevant to your usage, including this one on cameras for researchers 

If we were trying to photograph deer or wild boar or something which would be likely to hang around for a bit of strategically placed feed, then something like the Moultrie Game Spy 4.0 MP is very reasonably priced at USD $160 on Amazon.com.  It has 4 megapixels with IR flash so it won’t spook animals at night.    BUT  it has a very slow trigger time – 1 minute.  By that time, a cat has probably walked past the camera unless the path or a tree opposite the camera is baited with a bit of meat or blood to make the animal stop and sniff.  

The Reconyx cameras are very well regarded.  RM45 has great reviews and has won TrailCamPro’s “shootout” two years running.  It’s only a 1.3 megapixel black and white image, but it has a 1/10th second trigger speed with instant recovery time.  Here is a sample of it in “Rapid Fire Mode” – two images per second but taking up a fraction of the memory of video.   It runs on 6 C cell batteries and is around USD$450.  

The upgrade models, the Reconyx RC55 (USD$600) and RC60HO (USD$650) have colour photos for daylight and infrared flash  black and white night images.  There’s a comparison of the shots here:  http://www.trailcampro.com/reconyxphotos.aspx

The reviews and online photos of the Reconyx RC 60HO make it  pretty clear it is the best camera available.  In terms of ongoing expenses, it runs on 6 C cell Nimh or Lithium batteries and you have to factor in the cost of compact flash cards – the practical thing is to get 2 compact flash cards and just interchange them when you check the camera.  There are two versions of the RC60 – the standard and the RC60HO (High Output).  They are the same except the upgraded HO version has a longer night flash range.  

Another option is to check game supplies websites for closeout deals on 2008 stock.  Though from what I can see there isn’t much around, the fishing and hunting industries have grown in the current economic downturn and it looks like the camera market is mostly a seller’s market.

Points to consider when comparing cameras:

Speed – Trigger time and recovery time

Width of motion detection area

Battery life and type – if it can take rechargeable batteries this will reduce battery cost in the long term

Security – password protection/type of attachment (cable/ mounting plate /screw-on)

Flash – light or IR, some IR’s have a red glow which spooks animals

Size/shape/visibility (some users mod their cameras with camp tape to reduce its visibility)

Weatherproof 

Video capability

Cost – factor in your memory card and battery costs

Access to Memory Card and batteries (Moultrie get quite a few complaints about fiddly access)

One thing I forgot to mention is that a number of the lower priced IR cameras have either a red light when the IR is triggered or make a slight noise when taking a photograph.  While I suspect that it wouldn’t disturb a cat, which is elusive but not normally skittish, hunters have complained that the noise or light can spook deer, particularly large bucks which have learned to be very wary.   This site http://02ccbad.netsolhost.com/blog1/?cat=5 has a set of photos from a number of the cameras currently on the market, and these photos show the best results that everyday users have achieved so it gives a realistic idea of results.

I did find a blog by a man who sets his trail cams up to take beautifully posed, artistic pictures.  I didn’t bookmark it but I’ll try to find it again.  It’s worth looking at because he had a lot of tips about lighting, positioning, framing the photo etc.  He had a number of great photos but one striking photo of a cougar posed on a fallen log.  With many of these camera, using the natural light  for daytime shots makes a huge difference in the results.  That’s probably the biggest attraction of digital; you can set it up, click off some photos and check the results immediately.  

Frances BCIB

Rabbit Headed Cat Myth

Hi everyone at Big Cats in Britain. I’m pleased to have joined the group and hope to share in the wealth of knowledge and opinions of the group and the big cat situation.

I do believe there are exotic felids living wild and probably breeding in the British countryside. However I do not think they are an unknown indigenous species or big cat X domestic hybrids, but that they are known species. There may be small exotic species and hybrids of domestic cats and similarly-sized, closely-related species, but these are obviously not responsible for the killing of sheep and deer and attacks on horses etc.

I have read quite a lot about the so-called rabbit-headed cats and that the Dufftown cat and East Kilbride cat have unique skull morphology and unusual features. My own opinion is that these are just domestic cats which happen to have certain pronounced features that are within the wide range of what is normal for this species. You only need to go to a cat show or research the range of domestic cat breeds to see the huge variation in size, weight and body shape that exists with selective breeding (and possible hybridisation), particularly with the popularity of “exotic” breeds such as savannah cats.

The “unusual” dentition described in the rabbit-headed cats is not particularly abnormal. For example, domestic cats often have unerrupted premolar teeth. Domestic cat’s teeth don’t “wear” significantly with age. They may fracture or have some enamel loss but I don’t think the Dufftown cat’s teeth would have been notably longer when it was younger as has been claimed.

Regarding the East Kilbride cat: This cat seems to have grown significantly over the years. In one article (News of the World 27/1/02) the cat is described as 3-4 feet long and 25 inches tall with one and a half inch long fangs! The skull claimed to be of the EK cat has been examined and is very similar to the Dufftown cat. The upper canines were fully developed (not juvenile) and measured 14mm long. The distance between the tips of the upper canines was 18mm. Overall skull length was 102mm. These are within the normal range for dometic cats. It is claimed that the rabbit-headed cats have a cranial capacity half that of domestic cats but I cannot find any data to confirm this. The cranial volume of the EK skull was measured by Andrew Kitchener at NMS and was within the normal range for the domestic cat.

It’s true that this is an impressive specimen, but the story has become so exaggerated that it is misleading and it now confuses the big cat issue and also negatively affects the credibility of the big cat research.

I think the British Big Cat phenomenon is amazing enough without the wild speculation and unsubstantiated claims made by some of those interested in the subject. If we stick to the facts and examine the evidence in a critical and analytical manner it is more likely that the results will be taken seriously by the authorities and the scientific world.

Well, that’s my point of view! Let’s hear your thoughts.

Regards,
Mick

New Scottish Footage

http://www.youtube.com/BCIBrg

This footage has been in the possession of Big Cats in Britain for a couple of weeks now, and has only just been released to the media.

Shaun Stevens has been working with MOD dog handler who took it, near Helensbrugh in Scotland.

What do you think?

The witness reports: “I was visiting a friend on the 30th of June 2009, Helensburgh. The house overlooks the West Highland railway line, and I was in the back garden putting some plants into the greenhouse, when I happened to look up and spotted what appeared to be a black Labrador dog on the railway tracks. I then did a double take as I realised that the animals’ tail was twice the length it should be. I shouted to a pal who was also in the garden, helping out and we both came to the same conclusion that it was a large cat. My pal had his mobile phone on him so he took a couple of photo’s. He used a Nokia N96. I then ran to my car and grabbed my mobile phone, a Nokia N82, legged it down the drive and up some steps onto Winston Road and stood on the railway bridge. Low and behold along came our feline on the tracks. The first shot I took was a still, before switching to video. The video lasts just over a minute, and shows the cat leaving the tracks, going in to the vegetation, spraying/marking its territory ? and then returning to the tracks where it mounts the rail and walks along it. As a police dog handler, I would love to be able to train my dog to walk along a rail 3″ wide, but it is impossible . At a point 16 – 18 seconds into the video, the cat appears huge, the rails are 4′ 8″ wide, and the cat looks to be about 3′ 6″ in overall length but later on and also in the stills it appears to be smaller. I cannot explain this. Can you ?

New Arrival at Drayton Manor

Nigel Spencer reports:

“This is Drayton manors new  young female who arrived in June.

She is only the size of a small lab dog and is about 3 yrs old.

The male is a bit bigger and is 18 yrs which is old for a leopard, even in captivity. Robin was off today but I spoke with the keeper who said that they struggled to find a female panther and ended up getting her from Spain.

Interestingly, as soon as it started to rain, both cats went under cover.

The elder bush behind is only the same size as a normal gardens but both cats were invisble when in there

Just shows you!”

RE: Strathclyde Press Release

The more details I hear about this, the less I am inclined to believe that a large cat was responsible.

It turns out the injuries were to the genital area of the horse, with four slash marks, described as “looking surgically cut.” Who knows maybe a puma did do a sliding back tackle underneath the horse?

One other reason makes me doubt this as a cat also, apart from there not being an actual sighting.