More wildcat sightings reported on Big Island

[TomK]

Well, the obvious question is have there been reports of big cat-like attacks on animals? If not, what's the big cat feeding on? Treats?

[MarkP]

Well, back in one of the axis deer threads some of us free-thinking punawebbers did suggest jaguars as a biocontrol. Apparently they don't mutilate people quite as often as other big cats.

[TomK]

Well, back in one of the axis deer threads some of us free-thinking punawebbers did suggest jaguars as a biocontrol.  Apparently they don't mutilate people quite as often as other big cats.

That's very reassuring and yes, no jaguar attacks on people have been reported. So it must be a good idea!

[Durian Fiend]

Well, the obvious question is have there been reports of big cat-like attacks on animals? If not, what's the big cat feeding on? Treats?

Not likely to leave much evidence.  If there is a big cat out there, which I highly doubt, it's not big enough to be much of a threat to anyone's pets or livestock.

[eightfingers2.0]

Need to be at least two, otherwise, it won’t be problem for all that long.

[TomK]

Well, the obvious question is have there been reports of big cat-like attacks on animals? If not, what's the big cat feeding on? Treats?

Not likely to leave much evidence.  If there is a big cat out there, which I highly doubt, it's not big enough to be much of a threat to anyone's pets or livestock.

I think big cats leaving carcasses would be good evidence that there's a big cat on the loose. I'm not sure about the argument that it's not big enough to do that; it's supposed to be a big cat and not an overly large domestic cat.

['elepaio]

++ on above ..so true.

Fence in or out a cat ??

LMAO . futile

[Or1on]

If it's a mountain lion it would manage just fine on our mountain slopes eating goats and sheep.  Perhaps going to lower elevations to get pigs too.  If it's leaving carcasses that could be found, the animal's den is nearby people.  Doubtful.  What's the likelihood of DLNR finding a half eaten goat stashed up in a tree?  In nature they will make a kill, gorge until they cannot eat anymore and if there's anything left they then leave it and come back for the rest later.  They tend not to waste any energy unless they are hungry or defending territory so unlikely to kill indiscriminately and leave bodies strewn about.  If a carcass is left where people can find it then it might be partly domesticated.  Maybe smuggled in and raised until the owner couldn't handle it anymore then released. 

 Also unlikely people are just making this up out of the blue.  There's probably a large cat out there.  Maybe not as big as a mountain lion.  Could just be a bobcat or cerval.  Stupid, foolish and greedy people smuggle animals into places they're not supposed to all the time.  Guessing there's money to be made there.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Stupid, foolish and greedy people smuggle animals 

I knew a woman back in the late '80's who smuggled in her domestic cat inside a fake pregnancy dome, over her stomach.  A vet gave her sedatives that were meant to last the entire flight.  The flight was delayed, and 30 minutes before landing the cat started to wake up.  Tense moments but she made it.  

It's possible someone might try the same thing with a large cat when it was young, still small.

[SBH]

I use to have a 140 pound long haired German Shepherd that we would occasionally give a short haircut to make him look like a lion, shaving his body to his neck and leaving a mane and shaving his tail and leaving the last few inches at the end. From a distance he looked like a young lion. 

My uncle loved borrowing him and taking him to Keaau and driving around the Foodland parking lot to see people’s reactions.

I’ll have to find a picture.