Big cats in England

"O J" wrote in message
...
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."

I hope they'll be protected as well as studied.

Joy

"O J" wrote in message
...
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."

I hope they'll be protected as well as studied.

Joy

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

"O J" wrote in message
...
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."

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

"O J" wrote in message
...
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."

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



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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
**$om $

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off--

"O J" wrote in message
...

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.
--
The One-and-only Holy Moses

"O J" wrote in message
...

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.
--
The 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
**$om $

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off--

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
**$om $

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off--