Big cat mystery
Donna Ward
VETERAN big cat hunter Michael Williams is on the prowl in the Tenterfield area in a couple of weeks and is keen to hear of any big cat sightings.
He is on a mission to prove that abnormally large cats do roam the Australian bush and is using all means at his disposal to track one down.
For the past five years Mr Williams has travelled around Australia investigating hundreds of reports of strange livestock predation on farms and sightings of leopard-sized cats. He has analysed compelling video footage and photographs, and collected many large plaster casts of cat-like tracks.
"Australia has a rich history of big cat sightings since white settlement," Mr Williams said.
"Several theories have sprung up to explain the presence of exotic felids in this country, including circus crash escapees and released American WWII puma mascots. None of these stories, however, come close to accounting for the number or spread of sightings in the past 120 years.
"Australia has a well-documented feral cat problem, but it may be a lot bigger than authorities care to admit. DNA results collected so far seem to indicate that many contemporary sightings could be linked to super-sized feral cats - moggies that have morphed to many times their natural size."
Mr Williams works closely with witnesses, farmers and hunters to build a picture of the movements of the mysterious predators. He and his partner, Rebecca Lang, are now writing a book on the subject, bringing together all of the pictures, theories and stories they have collected in the past five years.
B Mr Williams is eager to hear from anyone who has had a big cat encounter or sighting. He can be emailed at yowies@gmail.com or by phoning 0416 303 371.
Tenterfield News: 13th March 2007