Is a black panther stalking the outskirts of Sydney?
The newly installed premier of New South Wales, Nathan Rees, isn't scoffing at the idea. "I don't think it's necessarily an urban myth," he told the Australian Associated Press earlier today. "There are too many people reporting sightings."
Rees was formerly a doubter, which has long been the respectable position on big cat rumors in the region. According to folklorist Bill Scott, who reviewed the history of the phenomenon in his 1996 book, Pelicans, Chihuahuas and Other Urban Legends, stories of a black panther roaming parts of eastern Australia have persisted since before World War II (which put the lie to one popular theory as to how the non-native species could have wound up in Australia, namely that members of an American fighter squadron smuggled a pair of panther cubs into the country as mascots).
As far back as 1975, Strange Creatures author John Keel observed:
Read more about it:
• Big Cat Stalking Sydney May Be No Urban Myth - AAP
• Rees on the Hunt for Sydney's Mystery Cat - Macquarie National News
• Blue Mountains Panther - Wikipedia
• Australian Big Cats
The newly installed premier of New South Wales, Nathan Rees, isn't scoffing at the idea. "I don't think it's necessarily an urban myth," he told the Australian Associated Press earlier today. "There are too many people reporting sightings."
Rees was formerly a doubter, which has long been the respectable position on big cat rumors in the region. According to folklorist Bill Scott, who reviewed the history of the phenomenon in his 1996 book, Pelicans, Chihuahuas and Other Urban Legends, stories of a black panther roaming parts of eastern Australia have persisted since before World War II (which put the lie to one popular theory as to how the non-native species could have wound up in Australia, namely that members of an American fighter squadron smuggled a pair of panther cubs into the country as mascots).
As far back as 1975, Strange Creatures author John Keel observed:
Australia has long been haunted by a giant, cat-like creature which has killed many sheep and frightened hundreds of people. Even though it is reportedly the size of a leopard and leaves behind big footprints no one has been able to catch or shoot it.Which still holds true 33 years on.
Read more about it:
• Big Cat Stalking Sydney May Be No Urban Myth - AAP
• Rees on the Hunt for Sydney's Mystery Cat - Macquarie National News
• Blue Mountains Panther - Wikipedia
• Australian Big Cats
Comments
Regarding the image of Sarah Palin in red white and blue bikini toting gun: If you look closely at the original supposed photo used for the cropping you will notice that the hair does not match up. Also the model in the so called original has a grayish tinge to her skin tone up to her neck. Maybe the picture is not doctored up…maybe that is indeed our gun-toting future want to be VP.
I don’t know what Sarah Palin has to do with this Panther story, but if you look on this site elsewhere, you will find the real picture that was used to photoshop the Sarah Palin photo. Investigate something you see on the Internet before looking like a buffoon and believing it.
ROFL!!!!!!!!!
I live in Australia and Sydney’s not the only place rumoured to have big cats.
The Grampians National Park is said to hold mountain lions.. I have camped in the Grampians, it is soooo not true.