"Scientifically it is important, as this may be our own evolving subspecies of black leopard here in Britain. "When we swab a carcass, DNA is hard to get, but it does prove that people who give descriptions are correct," says Minter. The implication being big cats are deterred by the artificial smells of the chemical-treated sheep, instead preferring natural deer. When he later dipped the remaining sheep in insecticide and fungicide, the killings only happened among the first half of the flock, when their chemicals were wearing off. Minter says that one gamekeeper contacted him with suspicions of big cat predation at the rate of four or five sheep a month.Īs an experiment, he dipped half the sheep flock in insecticide and fungicide and found dead sheep only in the other, untreated half of his flock. AFPīig cats are much less likely to take sheep, amateur biologists say, seemingly preferring wild deer instead. Another 15% of sightings are for tan pumas, mountain lions or cougars ( Puma concolor) with some reported lynx ( Felis lynx) sightings making up the rest, experts say.įILE: A newly born puma is seen with its mother Maeli, on Augat Paris' zoological gardens also known as the "Zoo de Vincennes". They see us as an injury risk, they don't see us as prey items," Minter tells Euronews Green.Īround 80% of the big cat sightings in Britain each year are of black panther-type animals. They're similar to black jaguars, but sleeker, and just like other big cats of the world they are much more stealthy than they realise. Also called black or melanistic leopards. "By far the most commonly described big cat is a black panther. That's the yardstick when we assess a photograph or talk to a witness, we are thinking are they big enough to take down a deer because that is the prey in their ecosystem," explains Rick Minter, an amateur big cat expert and field biologist who tracks and documents sightings on his Big Cat Conversations podcast. "There are 40 species of wild cats overall, but the ones we're interested in in Britain are the ones big enough to kill a deer. 11 of the funniest animal photos: The best of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2022.World’s oldest dog is celebrating his birthday with a 'very traditional' Portuguese party.
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