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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / April 2007Big cats in England
Hi All, Good news for those who are admirers of big cats. I just saw this on my Yahoo interface to the Associated Press. Good for the big kitties! Regards and Purrs, O J >LONDON (AFP) - There is "little doubt" that >significant numbers of big cats such as pumas >and lynxes are roaming the British countryside, >with more than four sightings of such beasts >reported per day, a campaign group said. >The British Big Cats Society (BBCS), set up to >compile evidence that such beasts live wild in the >country, called for a government-run scientific >study of population numbers. > >Unveiling the results of its own 15-month survey >which recorded more than 2,000 sightings, the >society concluded that there was "little doubt that >big cats are roaming Britain". > >"The evidence has been growing and is >increasingly clear," BBCS founder Danny >Bamping said. > >"We are now going to approach the proper >authorities to ask for their support in >undertaking a properly-funded scientific study >on the big cats in Britain." > Hi All, > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > >undertaking a properly-funded scientific study > >on the big cats in Britain." I hope they'll be protected as well as studied. Joy >I hope they'll be protected as well as studied. > >Joy Joy, big cats aren't native to the UK. If there are any in the wild (and I think there most probably are a few), I have grave misgivings about them remaining here. The theory is that they are cats that have escaped or have been deliberately released from private collections when legislation was brought in controlling who could have them and how/where they were kept. Reasons for my misgivings - example, we now have wild mink in the UK. They are escapees (unintentional & deliberate escape - "liberation") and descendents of escapees from mink farms. The mink in question is the American Mink - it's not native to the UK and it has no natural predators over here. It also breeds extremely well over here. It is destroying our native and now very rare, extremely endangered water voles. There's nothing better a mink likes than a tasty water vole for lunch. The mink is killing off our own wild life rather efficiently. For example - the stream at the end of my garden is a tributary of the River Wensum. It had been mink free until quite recently. I used to see a lot of water voles about. I haven't seen *any* this year. There's no sign of them. Some time ago a downstream neighbour told me she'd seen a mink on the banks of the stream where it goes by her place. Mink have been reported elsewhere on the river system too. Also, the number of fish in the stream has noticeably declined when the water is *good* and it's not fished to any extent. The other problem is that in relative terms, the UK is a small landmass, highly urbanised in many areas so there simply isn't the space for big cats to be about in any quantity without possible serious consequences for people. In this case, it isn't the people encroaching on to land previously the natural habitat of the big cats, it's more the other way around. I have very grave doubts about big cats remaining wild in the UK. Cheers, helen s --This is an invalid email address to avoid spam-- to get correct one remove fame & fortune h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om$ --Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off-- > I have very grave doubts about big cats remaining wild in the UK. Non-native species are always a threat to the local ecosystem. Take for example the starlings. They came from the UK to this country and now they're displacing native species. One could also argue that it's survival of the fittest, but is it when it's caused by humans? Good questions to ponder over a pint of ale. :)  SignatureVictor Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com > >I hope they'll be protected as well as studied. > > [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > Cheers, helen s You make some very good points here, Helen. Maybe the thing to hope for is that they can be safely relocated to a place where their kind is native. Joy > >I hope they'll be protected as well as studied. > > [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > I have very grave doubts about big cats remaining wild in the UK. This problem of "imported" species out-doing the native species is a major problem here in Australia, particularly when it comes to feral cats, dogs and pigs, although there are many other introduced species that are wreaking havoc in their own environmental niches (can toads, european carp, indian mynah bird etc etc). Because Australia was so isolated for so long (in terms of evolution) our native fauna simply doesn't have the natural methods of dealing with the effecient hunters that come from other parts of the world. Ironically, one of our natives, the possum, is a large problem in New Zealand, where it a pest and not part of the natural ecosystem. Yowie > This problem of "imported" species out-doing the native species is a > major problem here in Australia, particularly when it comes to feral > cats, dogs and pigs, although there are many other introduced species > that are wreaking havoc in their own environmental niches (can toads, > european carp, indian mynah bird etc etc). Aren't cats causing problems in the Galapagos islands, too? None of the animals there have predators, so they didn't evolve any fear of other animals. That's a big part of the charm of that area - the animals will come right up to you because they have no reason not to. But with cats on the island(s), many species will be in big trouble. And then there's the brown snake in Guam. Joyce > Aren't cats causing problems in the Galapagos islands, too? None of the > animals there have predators, so they didn't evolve any fear of other > animals. That's a big part of the charm of that area - the animals will > come right up to you because they have no reason not to. But with cats > on the island(s), many species will be in big trouble. Just got back from the Galapagos a few weeks ago :-))) What a fabulous trip! Yes, cats are a problem on some islands, along with goats, rats, pigs and several other non-mammalian species. However the scientists there are working on, and implementing some very clever schemes to eradicate pest species. They just need more resources and money to get the job done fast enough. And I can vouch for the fearlessness of the animals and birds - just incredible. The National Park has a policy for visitors: you can't touch the animals - but they can touch you! (And they do!) Deb. Signaturehttp://www.scientific-art.com "He looked a fierce and quarrelsome cat, but claw he never would; He only bit the ones he loved, because they tasted good." S. Greenfield >Just got back from the Galapagos a few weeks ago :-))) AAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!! You have just caused me to turn a vivid shade of bright green! AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!! Envy.... envy.... envy... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!! Cheers, helen s ;-) --This is an invalid email address to avoid spam-- to get correct one remove fame & fortune h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om$ --Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off-- > >Just got back from the Galapagos a few weeks ago :-))) > > AAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!! > > You have just caused me to turn a vivid shade of bright green! :-))) Sorry. If it's any consolation, I had been wanting to go since I was 12, so an ambition fulfilled by the trip - and a fantastic honeymoon into the bargain! Deb. Signaturehttp://www.scientific-art.com "He looked a fierce and quarrelsome cat, but claw he never would; He only bit the ones he loved, because they tasted good." S. Greenfield >:-))) Sorry. If it's any consolation, I had been wanting to go since I >was 12, so an ambition fulfilled by the trip - and a fantastic honeymoon >into the bargain! No... No.... *nothing can console me.... I'm *green* I tell you, *green*.... AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!! Cheers, helen s ;-) --This is an invalid email address to avoid spam-- to get correct one remove fame & fortune h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om$ --Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off-- >>:-))) Sorry. If it's any consolation, I had been wanting to go since I >>was 12, so an ambition fulfilled by the trip - and a fantastic honeymoon [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >Cheers, helen s ;-) When I was little, I loved to watch National Geographic programs, an I always thought I would be one of those naturalists who went to the Galapagos, or the Amazon, or wherever, to study the wildlife. I also had a children's book about Darwin (!) and I was absolutely fascinated by the tortoises, iguanas, frigate birds, etc. Wow, a real dream trip. Theresa alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/ Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply disgraceful. (Aldous Huxley) > When I was little, I loved to watch National Geographic programs, an I > always thought I would be one of those naturalists who went to the > Galapagos, or the Amazon, or wherever, to study the wildlife. I also > had a children's book about Darwin (!) and I was absolutely fascinated > by the tortoises, iguanas, frigate birds, etc. Wow, a real dream > trip. Sounds like me, too! All I can say is, never give up the dream - it gives you someting to aim for :-) Deb. Signaturehttp://www.scientific-art.com "He looked a fierce and quarrelsome cat, but claw he never would; He only bit the ones he loved, because they tasted good." S. Greenfield > > >I hope they'll be protected as well as studied. > > > [quoted text clipped - 51 lines] > of evolution) our native fauna simply doesn't have the natural methods of > dealing with the effecient hunters that come from other parts of the world. I saw a program on TV a while back dealing at least in part with the feral cat problem in Australia. It featured this somewhat repulsive man who hunted cats for a bounty-his car had a sticker that said AFAIR something like "The only good cat is a dead cat." He seemed to really enjoy shooting the cats. Apparently also some aboriginial people in Australia hunt and eat feral cats. There was a clip on the program showing some aborigineal women chasing after a feral cat which they caught and later cooked. > Ironically, one of our natives, the possum, is a large problem in New > Zealand, where it a pest and not part of the natural ecosystem. > > Yowie > I saw a program on TV a while back dealing at least in part with the > feral cat problem in Australia. It featured this somewhat repulsive > man who hunted cats for a bounty-his car had a sticker that said AFAIR > something like "The only good cat is a dead cat." He seemed to really > enjoy shooting the cats. > Apparently also some aboriginial people in > Australia hunt and eat feral cats. There was a clip on the program > showing some aborigineal women chasing after a feral cat which they > caught and later cooked. Tell you the truth, I'm less offended by the people who actually eat the cats than I am by the creep who just gets off on killing them. Not to say I wouldn't be horrified to learn that somebody's pet cat had been eaten!! But at least the impulse of killing to eat isn't an evil one, whereas the guy who just enjoys shooting them is a sicko, IMO. Joyce > > I saw a program on TV a while back dealing at least in part with the > > feral cat problem in Australia. It featured this somewhat repulsive [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Joyce That was pretty much my reaction. The people who were chasing cats around for food are part of a culture that as far as I could tell is still in the hunter-gatherer stage at least to some extent, and as they say, you gotta do what you gotta do. The bounty hunter, OTOH, was disgusting to me becuase of the glee he exuded, not because he thought he was acheiving any kind of challenging feat, but simply over killing cats. > > > >I hope they'll be protected as well as studied. > > > > [quoted text clipped - 60 lines] > showing some aborigineal women chasing after a feral cat which they > caught and later cooked. Yeah, he's pretty "famous" around here. Trouble is, he doesn't present his arguments against the feral cat in a logical and non-confrontational way and so tends to divide viewers unto ardent cat haters and equally fanatical cat lovers with no room for a sane and rational discourse to occur in between. There *is* a feral cat problem here in Oz. Is the best solution shooting them? Well, eradicating the truly *feral* variety (as opposed the the *stray* population) is certainly desirable and shooting, as much as I hate to admit it, is cheap and realtively humane. However, *education* of potential cat (and other potentially feral) owners and strict enforcement of neutering laws would also do a great deal to help the situation. The indoor housecat is not causing *any* harm to the native fauna, so this crackpot's solution of "the only good cat is a dead cat" is not reasonable at all, and he certainly doesn't do his cause any good amongst resposnible cat owners by spouting such hate-filled drivel. Unfortunatley such a controversial person does make great TV and gets far more air time than he deserves, IMHO. Yowie My sister accidently caught a "big cat" on a video of her holiday there. Some newspaper bought the rights to the video tape. We have no idea what the followup was, as we aren't in England. Yowie > Hi All, > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > >undertaking a properly-funded scientific study > >on the big cats in Britain." > Good news for those who are admirers of big cats. I just saw > this on my Yahoo interface to the Associated Press. > Good for the big kitties! > >LONDON (AFP) - There is "little doubt" that > >significant numbers of big cats such as pumas > >and lynxes are roaming the British countryside, This has to be a hoax. Pumas and Lynxes are North American critters, never found in the wild in Britain (or Ireland). I can't believe that any zoo over there would be so careless as to lose breeding pairs, either. SignatureThe One-and-only Holy Moses >This has to be a hoax. It's not. There's good evidence to suggest it may well be true. >Pumas and Lynxes are North American critters, never >found in the wild in Britain (or Ireland). I can't believe that any zoo over >there would be so careless as to lose breeding pairs, either. Indeed they aren't natives but there was a time, not that long ago, where private individuals were able to keep such cats. The law was altered which meant private individuals couldn't - where & how such animals were kept became highly regulated (rightly so IMO). As a result, before the law came into effect, it is beleived that some private owners released their animals into the wild rather than the animal be euthanised or end up in someone else's zoo here in the UK or abroad. Some years ago, when Vernon, Nathan (he'd be about six or seven at the time) & I were out walking in local countryside, in quite tall vegetation, we *heard* something that could only be described as a big cat growling. The hairs on the back of my went up. We stopped and *froze*. Vernon looked at me, I looked at him. Nathan said "What's that noise?" I said, "Oh, probably just a cow in nearby field." Nathan responded to tell me it sounded just like a lion to him. When we started walking again, Vernon walked in front, follwed by Nathan and I took up the rear - we made sure our young child was between us at all times. We also spoke very loudly... to try to make sure we didn't startle anything we may not want to meet up with. A lynx was spotted and filmed in someone's front garden in North London too... Heck, we've got a few wallabies wild in Norfolk - Vernon has spotted one - and there's been photographs now and again. I don't think there's a lot of big cats out there, I think there's probably very few but I have very, very grave reservations about allowing them to stay out there. Cheers, helen s --This is an invalid email address to avoid spam-- to get correct one remove fame & fortune h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om$ --Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off-- > >This has to be a hoax. > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > Cheers, helen s If correct, I can understand your concern. Animals that are imported and then released into the wild (either deliberately or unintentionally) often create more problems than in their native environment because they do not have natural predators -- for example, rabbits in Australia and nutria in the United States. In addition, we often read about safety of outdoor cats in the UK because of the lack of predators, but something like this could eventually change that composition. MaryL > In addition, we often read about safety of outdoor cats >in the UK because of the lack of predators, but something like this could >eventually change that composition. Indeed. Safety is a relative thing, and in reality there is much of the UK where it's no big problem to allow your cat to be indoor/outdoor. I'd like it to stay that way. Cheers, helen s --This is an invalid email address to avoid spam-- to get correct one remove fame & fortune h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om$ --Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off-- >Indeed. Safety is a relative thing, and in reality there is much of the UK >where it's no big problem to allow your cat to be indoor/outdoor. I'd like it >to stay that way. > >Cheers, helen s Indeed Helen. I pray that it stays that way over there, too. You are so lucky that way. UK-ers should all appreciate that, treasure it and protect it. I know you do! In a perfect world, I wish all cats should go outside, but I know they can't. . I take great offense at the posts from people who finger-wag at me for letting them out. The reality of it is, the risks aren't big enough (here) for them to stay inside. But I've traded a great deal of human convenience to live here. I love the stories about Waffles' hunting prowess...and I delight in seeing mine bask on top of the car, scale a tree. Last night Bootsie was on a fencepost wagging her tail to and fro--she looked just like one of those Felix clocks! Frank sat on top of a gopher mound for hours. Yoda came out and laid in the flowers I'd just planted and smashed them flat. (But on second thought...Biskit stuck her nose out the open window, but that's all of the outdoors she wants! Maybe *she*'s the smart one, and has figured out the roamin' life isn't what it's cracked up to be...I'll stay inside, thankyouverymuch! Sherry > >This has to be a hoax. > > It's not. There's good evidence to suggest it may well be true. [snip] Be damned! Amazing - I never would have guessed it. SignatureThe One-and-only Holy Moses > >This has to be a hoax. > [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > Cheers, helen s Your comment about the wallabies reminded me of something that happened when I was about 8 or 9, or maybe a little older. I grew up in East Los Angeles. We were out of the big city, but our area was fairly well built up. However, very close to where I lived, there was a large open area. We called it "the field". One day when I was walking to the local grocery store (just a block from my house), I saw something jumping across "the field". I went home and told my mother I had seen a kangaroo. She said there were no kangaroos around here, but she believed that I had seen something. She brought my little brother and we took a walk along one side of "the field". We saw it again, and it looked like a kangaroo to my mother too. She knew it didn't belong there, so she called and reported it to the police. They said that someone had reported a pet wallaby missing. Eventually the wallaby was caught and returned to the people who had it. Because my spotting it and my mother's call let to its retrieval, the family who kept it invited us to come and meet "Wally". They had him in the house, where they had made a sort of cave under a table for him. That was my first sight of a wallaby, and actually my first knowledge that there was such a thing. Joy > As a result, before the law came into > effect, it is beleived that some private owners released their animals into the > wild rather than the animal be euthanised or end up in someone else's zoo here > in the UK or abroad. This I don't understand. Why would they not want them to end up in another zoo where they would have been looked after properly? Or maybe I could understand if they couldn't be sure whether they would be euthanised or sent to another zoo. But still. You'd think public awareness of the dangers of letting out non-native animals into the wrong environment would be at a level where no-one would dream of doing it. Obviously not. Just the other day, there was another hit on a mink farm here in Finland, and thousands of minks were let out. Personally, I think farming animals for their fur should be banned, but this is not the right way to go. SignatureMarina, Frank and Nikki Email marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/frankiennikki > This I don't understand. Why would they not want them to end up in another > zoo where they would have been looked after properly? Or maybe I could > understand if they couldn't be sure whether they would be euthanised or sent > to another zoo. But still. You'd think public awareness of the dangers of > letting out non-native animals into the wrong environment would be at a > level where no-one would dream of doing it. They're probably operating on exactly the same level of thinking as the people who take unwanted domestic dogs and cats and simply abandon them out in the country or in a distant part of town. They've convinced themselves that they're doing the animal a favour by 'giving it a chance'; won't admit to themselves that the animal will almost certainly die slowly from cold, hunger, and injuries from other animal attacks, or cars; and can't face up to their responsibility. OTOH, some people (here, and I think in Australia) are convinced that nature needs a little improvement, and import animals deliberately. I'm not sure big cats in the English countryside counts as 'improvement', but there's no accounting for other people's opinions. SignatureCheryl >> This I don't understand. Why would they not want them to end up in another >> zoo where they would have been looked after properly? Or maybe I could [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > from cold, hunger, and injuries from other animal attacks, or cars; and > can't face up to their responsibility. I agree with you about the cats and dogs. But it appears in the case of the big cats they were right in at least some cases. > > As a result, before the law came into > > effect, it is beleived that some private owners released their animals [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > minks were let out. Personally, I think farming animals for their fur should > be banned, but this is not the right way to go. There were also cases where folks got themselves a big cat because it was "cute" - then just abandoned it when it got too big/aggressive/awkward to look after. SignatureJette "Work for Peace and remain Fiercely Loving" - Jim Byrnes jette@blueyonder.co.uk http://www.jette.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ >> Good news for those who are admirers of big cats. I just saw >> this on my Yahoo interface to the Associated Press. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >found in the wild in Britain (or Ireland). I can't believe that any zoo over >there would be so careless as to lose breeding pairs, either. See: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/britain_animals_cats_offbeat Regards and Purrs, O J > This has to be a hoax. Pumas and Lynxes are North American critters, > never found in the wild in Britain (or Ireland). I can't believe that > any zoo over there would be so careless as to lose breeding pairs, > either. "Life will find a way." Chaos theorist Ian Malcolm in Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park SignatureCheryl > > This has to be a hoax. Pumas and Lynxes are North American critters, > > never found in the wild in Britain (or Ireland). I can't believe that [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > -- > Cheryl Interesting you should mention him. I gave a speech last night in which I quoted his comment about cloning: "You were so excited about the fact that you could do it, you never stopped to wonder whether you should do it." He was talking about cloning dinosaurs, but I think it's a very apropos comment for things that are going on today. Joy "Yoj" <jgaylord3@earthlink.net> dumped this in news:XqDhc.4153$eZ5.3365 @newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net on 21 Apr 2004: >> "Life will find a way." >> Chaos theorist Ian Malcolm in Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > it." He was talking about cloning dinosaurs, but I think it's a very > apropos comment for things that are going on today. I would have liked to have heard that! I like that quote. It has meaning to MANY things going on today. SignatureCheryl > "Yoj" <jgaylord3@earthlink.net> dumped this in news:XqDhc.4153$eZ5.3365 > @newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net on 21 Apr 2004: [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > -- > Cheryl That's true. It does. My club was having a movie theme night, and my speech was about memorable lines or scenes from movies. I also mentioned the cow scene in Twister, among other things. Joy I LOVE big cats specially the tigers leopards and lions they are so beautiful!!!!! Jean.P. > Hi All, > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > >undertaking a properly-funded scientific study > >on the big cats in Britain." > I LOVE big cats specially the tigers leopards and lions > they are so beautiful!!!!! Jean.P. So do I, but I wouldn't be pleased to encounter one in my back yard... MaryL >> I LOVE big cats specially the tigers leopards and lions >> they are so beautiful!!!!! Jean.P. > >So do I, but I wouldn't be pleased to encounter one in my back yard... > >MaryL My thought exactly! Neither would I! Jean.P. > > I LOVE big cats specially the tigers leopards and lions > > they are so beautiful!!!!! Jean.P. > > So do I, but I wouldn't be pleased to encounter one in my back yard... > > MaryL >> I LOVE big cats specially the tigers leopards and lions >> they are so beautiful!!!!! Jean.P. > > So do I, but I wouldn't be pleased to encounter one in my back yard... Out west they are all around us. For the most part they are pretty invisible. Mountain lions are said to be making a big come back. They seem to have adapted to living on the fringe of human society. They say the same thing about leopards in Africa. I watch a lot of nature shows. Maya will ignore tigers, lions, leopards but let a mountain lion be on the TV and she will sit up. I suspect at one time or another she had a passing encounter with one. They made the news this week in Vegas because there was a lot of sightings over several days around a school. I was once in the mountains in Wyoming at 8500 feet above sea level by myself and found some tracks in the snow that weren't there when I first passed that way a half hour earlier. I never saw it, but you usually don't. I suspect I passed very close to it. Never been attack up there though. Interstate 80 a few miles away was a bigger danger to me but it makes you think when your alone in the woods and the mountains. I used to watch those wild animal shows a lot but I couldn't stand the scenes showing one animal chasing another and killing it I know its what happens, but I dont want the killing shoved down my throat, so I dont watch them any more, Its too upsetting. Jean.P. > >> I LOVE big cats specially the tigers leopards and lions > >> they are so beautiful!!!!! Jean.P. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Interstate 80 a few miles away was a bigger danger to me but it makes you > think when your alone in the woods and the mountains. >I LOVE big cats specially the tigers leopards and lions >they are so beautiful!!!!! Jean.P. As do I, but the living wild in the UK is *not* the place any large cat should be. Cheers, helen s --This is an invalid email address to avoid spam-- to get correct one remove fame & fortune h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om$ --Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off-- Dont I know it, I'm a pommy myself, Jean.P. > >I LOVE big cats specially the tigers leopards and lions > >they are so beautiful!!!!! Jean.P. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > --Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off-- I stumbled across this thread today and quite enjoyed it. I was also curious as to why it would be hard to believe that big cats could exist in England. For one, there is the European wildcat where a branch of the species is found in good numbers throughout Scotland. There is also a European Lynx that spreads from France to Russia. It is easy to consider that somehow, through private collecting, or even by accident that some of those cats found their way to England. I also know that during a period of time, it was common for men and women in society to acquire these cats, before laws of the nature even existed. They would purchase the animals from traveling circuses, from poachers that returned to England with orphaned babies. Heres a question though....if you owned a large cat that escaped, would you report it? I know i would, but most people just turn their back and go... 'oops. Hope i dont get in trouble if its caught.' Oh....how about this....there are reports in the south west US that there are jaguars coming into the states through mexico. Its not really true....the animals they picked up on the videos and pictures were too small to be Jaguars....but they are believed to be Jaguarundis, Margays, ocelots or some type of hybrid that is migrating north, into habitat that is not originally theirs. There have also been reports of Canadian Lynx finding their way as far south as West Virginia, as well as many other animals deserting their normal haunting grounds when the food grows low or something drives them away. It is not hard to believe that people would dump defenseless animals in the wild either. I lived on the border of a protected wetlands area and i will tell you what. Even in NJ, there were species of birds that should NOT have been picking up our endangered moles....but they were there, causing all kinds of trouble. There were also insects that shouldnt have been there and wiped out half of the brush in an entire three months. It took us forever to identify the nasty bugs as those that were originally from Asia, and we had to replant everything. The rarest thing i have ever seen is the one time a friggin CARIBOU was spotted behind our house. In NJ no less! Turns out it escaped from a traveling petting zoo, but the man never reported it. It had been gone six months before the man was discovered to not be in possession of the animal. The way it was found out he was not in possession of his Caribou was that someone reported that they thought he had killed the animal by neglect and he was investigated for it. It is surprisingly common place for people to do things they shouldnt when it comes to animals. Im sure there are several people in the states and elsewhere that have seen or heard something that just wasnt common in their area. Here in Mass. where we live now, there is a parrot....a nice small green parrot from south america, nested in one of the trees in the woods behind the house. There is no way that got there on its own. |
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