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News.com.au
4 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Big cat expert reveals truth behind viral ‘panther' footage
An Australian big cat expert has revealed the truth after a clip of a supposed 'panther' went viral on social media early last week. The footage, which has amassed over 2.5 million views, shows a large, jet black cat prowling along a road in Victoria's bushland. Viewers were quick to brand it 'irrefutable proof' of the folklore that has long gripped the nation. However, former Australian Zoo big cat keeper and expert Vaughan King has now revealed the truth behind the hugely popular video. 'It's almost certainly just a healthy looking black feral cat with its winter coat,' Mr King told For years, people have believed that Australia's vast, untamed bushland could be hiding more than just kangaroos and kookaburras. In late April 2024, prospector Angus James filmed what appears to be a large, jetâ€'black feline near Ballarat, Victoria. At the time, he told that he spotted the jet black shaped animal in his paddock when he was driving past. 'I pulled up and went to zoom in on it with my camera. And then it sort of took off and just sort of panned with it.' 'It was obviously a big cat – massive – bigger than your average house cat, that's for sure,' he said. There are numerous sophisticated online databases that track 'big cat' sightings across Australia. Perhaps the most common descriptions include large, black or tan-coloured cats resembling panthers or pumas. And big cat origin theories are almost as plentiful as the sightings themselves. Some theories suggest that the so-called big cats are escapees from private zoos, circuses, or exotic pet owners. Historian David Waldron of Federation University's Ballarat campus left the door slightly ajar for the possibility of big cats roaming the nation. 'If you actually think about it, it's not particularly absurd — adding another introduced species to the pile,' he told ABC RN in 2018. Dr Waldron canvassed government and media archives to uncover evidence of the early exotic animal trade in Australia, including instances of escaped circus animals. 'I came across one case in NSW where disgruntled performers let three tigers lose when they quit,' he said. Another well-known theory is that today's cats might be descendants of abandoned mascots from World War II American soldiers. 'There definitely have been individual big cats in the bush out there from time to time, even quite recently. That's documented. 'Particularly in the 19th century where you didn't have quarantine regulations, like we have today.' Indeed, reports of big cats span back to the 1800s, with a more recent, 2001 Deakin University study concluding that evidence of big cats in the Grampians was 'beyond reasonable doubt.' In Vaughan King's documentary ' The Hunt: In Search of Australia's Big Cats ', the big cat expert teamed up with veteran researchers John Turner and Simon Townsend to investigate the sightings that have gripped Australians. The film investigated multiple reports across the Otways in Victoria, the Hunter Valley in New South Wales and southâ€'west Western Australia. Mr King — who moved his family to Victoria to lead the project — used longâ€'range camera traps, thermal drones, DNA sampling and intensive field investigations. The team received hundreds of reports of sightings in the lead up to filming, some of which ranged from strange growls in the night and barbarous livestock killings. In Victoria's Yarra and Dandenong Ranges, Mr King declared a big cat could '100 per cent' survive — despite the absence of sightings during filming. Over in NSW in the Blue Mountains region, there have been over 560 reports of big cat sightings in the Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains and Lithgow area since 1998. In response, the Department of Primary Industries commissioned four inquiries during the years 1999, 2003, 2008 and 2013. In a 1999 letter to then National Parks and Wildlife Service director-general Brian Gilligan, Department of Agriculture head Kevin Sheridan warned: ''The reports are becoming too frequent for us to ignore the possibility. To … do so could bring into question government's duty of care.'' Wildlife ecologist Johannes Bauer was later commissioned to provide expert opinion. 'Difficult as it seems to accept, the most likely explanation of the evidence is the presence of a large, feline predator,'' he said. 'In this area, [it is] most likely a leopard, less likely a jaguar.'' In 2008, the report concluded: 'There is no scientific evidence found during this review that conclusively proves the presence of free-ranging exotic large cats in NSW, but a presence cannot be discounted, and it seems more likely than not on available evidence that such animals do exist in NSW.' However, the 2013 inquiry returned bad news for lovers of the lore with invasive species expert John Parkes labelling the 500 eyewitness accounts as 'at best prima facie evidence'', saying 'large dogs, large feral cats or swamp wallabies'' were the likely candidates. But eyewitnesses continue to disagree. In 2020, professional photographer Amber Noseda captured a series of photos of a large, sleek black cat sauntering into the bush in southwest Victoria in 2020. That same year, TV host Grant Denyer revealed he had seen what he believes to be 'sheep-sized' panthers on his Bathurst property. 'I'll give you an exclusive, and don't think I'm crazy, but I am on the panther bandwagon right now,' Denyer told at the time. 'I'm talking about the famous panthers that roam the Australian bush,' he said. 'I've seen the panther twice on the bottom of my farm and I have video to prove it — although blurry and zoomed 10 times on my iPhone,' he said. Whether stories of panthers quietly stalking the Australian bush are true or not remains unknown, but witnesses and investigators are not giving up anytime soon.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Prospector makes 'ripper' 90-year-old discovery in thick Aussie bush
Tiny clues in the Australian bush have led a seasoned prospector to a massive haul of old relics buried in the dirt. The first sign European settlers had visited the area was a broken piece of porcelain lying in the dirt, but it was the bluestone slab that made it clear Angus James had found something bigger — the ruins of an old house. Stone like that wasn't natural to the site, around an hour's drive west of the Victorian gold mining town of Ballarat, meaning someone around a century ago hauled it to the site. When Angus James wiped the dirt away, it was pretty clear it had once formed part of a fireplace. 'It was very thick bushland. I was out in the middle of nowhere,' he told Yahoo News. 'Often, when I come across remnants of old bluestone and bricks, they're signs of houses or mudhuts.' Related: Aussie prospector reveals secret maps to find fortune Like Ballarat, the secret area Angus was prospecting in had been a gold mining region. Whenever there's a spot where the diggings have been successful, there are usually signs of a house. 'This time I could also see old bulbs and garden beds as well — European trees are normally a good sign. Old cactus bushes are ones to look out for too, because they used to use aloe vera for cuts and abrasions in the 1800s and early 1900s,' Angus said. It was around the old bluestone fire pit that Angus discovered a massive cluster of old glass bottles. While there's not much value to any of them, they reveal interesting insights into the lives of everyday people who were never recorded in the history books. Because there was no garbage collection, garbage was simply piled up and buried. But it wasn't just bottles he found, also among the haul was half a rusted cap gun. In a video posted to his Gold Coin and Relics Australia social media page, you can hear his excitement as he dusts it off. 'I also found this little ripper. I love finding these. Lots of fun back in the day,' he said. Angus's next find is a medallion commemorating a 'centenary of Melbourne', dating back to 1935. 'That is an absolute cracker, I actually haven't found one like this before so I'm very happy with this,' he adds, before pointing out details on the coin like a swagman and a ship. These coins can sell from $20 to $1,000, depending on their condition. 'You get a bit of a rush from the history. It's fascinating to think about what life was like back then,' Angus said. 'That coin would have come out just after the [Great] Depression. A coin like that would have been circulated around and put a smile on people's faces. 'I really like trying to build a picture of what it was like back then, why they dropped it, why it was lost, and who had it in their hands.' 🔊 'Iconic' sound mysteriously vanishes from suburbs Mystery over 'unusual' outbreak plaguing iconic bird 😳 'Stomach-churning' reason behind popular seaside tourist show But it's not just old relics that lie around old mining settlements. Prospecting machinery is always improving, and modern handheld detectors are able to detect gold that went unnoticed a century ago. Using his 'extremely sensitive' tools, Angus also discovered 14 small gold nuggets. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
