My sister drew my attention to this item. In the past the Westmoreland Gazette used to contact me regularly regarding 'big cat' sightings (the caracal is not, incidentally, a member of the Big Cat family).
The photographs are nice. However, there are problems that void any claim at identification. Thios could be anyones cat or even a feral cat.
1) You cannot see the ears therefore the tufts -a good identifier- are missing.
2) The photo is not clear enough to see facial markings which are another good identifier
3) No good shot of the tail -another good identifier
We have here a photograph of a cat and, yes, it looks impressive until you check all the points. If the account is true -I have never met or talked to the person so I have no idea re credibility- then the fact that they suddenly saw the cat and were shocked might be worth taking into account.
It is unquestionably a genuine photograph -in that all photographs are genuine independent of what they purport to show. In this case I have seen similar shots taken of cats in zoo or wildlife park enclosures and passed on a cats in the countryside.
Some reports state the witness threw down some chicken sandwiches before leaving the site. With people that is possible after all the UK countryside only has foxes, rats, mice, voles, millions of rabbits and millions of deer as well as wildfowl and other birds. Poor thing must have been 'starving'.
I have maps, as well as reports from most parts of the UK that show cat territories -which type of cat, which areas they frequent most and so on. For Cumbria I have a good data base. It is never shared for two reasons: the first to prevent fraudulent claims and the second to stop hunters. I understand Ms Larkin-Snowden's stance re. the latter. However, having been doing this since 1977 I have found that there are too many hoaxers and I never register a report unless I know the location (and since 1977 I have never once let out a location -even the Scottish ones passed to me by the late Arthur Cadman).
Therefore, until we get better photos this is just classed as ABC (Another Bloody Cat).
Above: Caracal showing the "stubby tail"
Below: Caracal displaying the eare tufts
The Westmoreland Gazette article:
The photographs are nice. However, there are problems that void any claim at identification. Thios could be anyones cat or even a feral cat.
1) You cannot see the ears therefore the tufts -a good identifier- are missing.
2) The photo is not clear enough to see facial markings which are another good identifier
3) No good shot of the tail -another good identifier
We have here a photograph of a cat and, yes, it looks impressive until you check all the points. If the account is true -I have never met or talked to the person so I have no idea re credibility- then the fact that they suddenly saw the cat and were shocked might be worth taking into account.
It is unquestionably a genuine photograph -in that all photographs are genuine independent of what they purport to show. In this case I have seen similar shots taken of cats in zoo or wildlife park enclosures and passed on a cats in the countryside.
Some reports state the witness threw down some chicken sandwiches before leaving the site. With people that is possible after all the UK countryside only has foxes, rats, mice, voles, millions of rabbits and millions of deer as well as wildfowl and other birds. Poor thing must have been 'starving'.
I have maps, as well as reports from most parts of the UK that show cat territories -which type of cat, which areas they frequent most and so on. For Cumbria I have a good data base. It is never shared for two reasons: the first to prevent fraudulent claims and the second to stop hunters. I understand Ms Larkin-Snowden's stance re. the latter. However, having been doing this since 1977 I have found that there are too many hoaxers and I never register a report unless I know the location (and since 1977 I have never once let out a location -even the Scottish ones passed to me by the late Arthur Cadman).
Therefore, until we get better photos this is just classed as ABC (Another Bloody Cat).
Below: Caracal displaying the eare tufts
The Westmoreland Gazette article:
Proof that big cats roam Cumbria
Emily Parsons
These photos could be proof that big cats truly roam the Cumbrian countryside.
Sharon Larkin-Snowden, from west Cumbria, posted the images in the Big Cats in Cumbria Facebook page which she runs to coordinate potential sightings.
She has long believed that big cats are living wild in the county, and these latest images have her excited.
She told the News & Star: "When I saw it, I just thought straight away 'caracal'."
A caracal is a medium-sized wild cat usually native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted ears, and long canine teeth.
For Sharon, the clarity of the images got her excited.
"This has to be some of the best photographic evidence to-date," she said. "It may not be our panther, but this is one of the smaller big cats.
"These photos are genuine.
"I'm overwhelmed by the response I got off the photos though - I only put them on my page to show other members. I never expected it to go that far."
Not only has she been inundated with interest from the national media, but she has had more than 1,400 people requesting to join the Facebook group.
Unfortunately, a rise in trolls leaving hateful messages and criticising her beliefs has prevented Sharon from accepting any new members.
As for the latest sighting, she has promised the woman who took the photos to reveal its location only as Cumbria, to prevent the creature being hunted and killed.
The photographer has since returned to take photographs with a tape measure, to try and help provide an accurate size of the feline.
Sharon said it is not the only sighting of a large cat in the county recently, and she is looking into several reports of panthers.
