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Wednesday, 19 April 2023

The Beast of Bodmin Is...A Jaguarundi??

In The Red Paper 2022 Volume II: Felids I refer to jaguarundi in England. Not widespread but confined to an area of SE England where they have bred and been protected by market gardeners going back to at least the 1980s. I have video footage of one.


So when I am told that Corwall Live has posted video footage of a jaguarundi on Bodmin Moor I said “Great!” I wanted to see this.


I did and I saw all the lovely photos of jaguarundi that had nothing to do with the story




Former local man films 'creature' that fits Beast of Bodmin Moor reports

Video footage appears to show an unusual looking wild cat prowling around the outskirts of moorland in the UK. Tourists on holiday captured the 'creature' on video in Cornwall .

The footage, which is over a minute in length, shows the black cat casually walking around a field near St Neot, between Bodmin and Liskeard. The man who recorded the footage said he spotted a number of wild looking 'normal' cats during his recent trip - but says this one was different.

He estimated the cat was at least double the size of an ordinary domestic cat and described it as fitting the description of the Beast of Bodmin Moor. He said its tail was so distinctive "it had a life of its own".

Tom O'Shea, 35, from Frome in Somerset, used to live in Cornwall and having often heard of the legends of big cats roaming the moors, jumped at the chance to record the "unusual-looking feline". After consulting a friend he believes it could have been a jaguarundi wild cat.

"I managed to get a video of it and have since shown it to someone who has a knowledge of animals," Dr O'Shea said. "He suspects that it is a jaguarundi based on the details in the video."

He continued to say it would be "unusual" if it were but "not totally out of the realm of reason". "We were quite excited by this as this would certainly fit with past reports of the beast and we can attest to the creature we saw being roughly double the size of an average domestic cat with a much thicker and longer tail.

"That said, we did also see a number of rather wild-looking but definitely 'normal' cats wandering about the place during our stay."

You can view the video footage at the top of this page and see what you thinkhttps://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/former-local-man-films-creature-8362522


"What was really kind of distinctive about it is that it was definitely much longer than your average domestic cat and had really bizarre markings on it," he continued. It was really unusual and after a few seconds of looking at it straight on, it moved in a really unusual way as well. It didn't move like a usual cat.


"He said the "creature" emerged from a hedgerow during Storm Noa and appeared again the following day when he caught it on video. "It's tail almost had a life of its own," he added.”


Well, I sat down, full screen mode on and...I waited. Oh...it seems that the blackish blog is the animal I am supposed to be looking at? In fact I see no evidence of a jaguarundi tail (and they are impressive). In fact the cat has its tail in the air at one point and even a cursory glance shows that this is a black domestic cat. I ought to point out that a description of a jaguarundi sounds nothing like the oft reported Beast of Bodmin.


What we see on the video is a very long distance view of a domestic cat pure and simple. For a brief minute I held my breath but my enlargement of a frame from the video proves the point.




Tuesday, 11 April 2023

Did Lynx Survive In The British Isles Into The 18th Century?

 


A question I look at and, I hope, answer in my new paper that should be released later this month.

Saturday, 1 April 2023

Just A Heads Up For Wildlife Parks and Small Zoos

 I have in the last two to three words heard one horror story after another about the way that exotic animals are kept and treated, especially canids and felids.

I still run the Exotic Animals Register (EAR 1977) and from now on if I hear reports of bad conditions and treatment of animals in UK establishments then I will be putting all my attention on those. Established zoos and wildlife parks in the 1990s and 2000s learnt a harsh lesson and it seems people talk a lot these days but cannot get off their asses.

I care and I will get off my ass.

Warned

Dundee Zoo Kills Wolf Pack

  If your only response is "We have no idea what to do -euthanasia is best" then get out of the bloody show business because you are not helping to conserve or protect these animals just making money from them.

Staff upset? Well I doubt the wolves were ecstatic about being put down.
Respect the animals in your charge or close up. Animals ALWAYS first and not profit (I assume they will acquire replacements).

LokiIMAGE SOURCE,LEISURE AND CULTURE DUNDEE
Image caption,
Loki was euthanised after developing complications following an operation

A Dundee zoo said a decision to euthanise four of its wolves following the death of their pack leader was done as a last resort.

Camperdown Wildlife Centre put alpha male wolf Loki to sleep after he developed complications following an operation.

It said the other four wolves exhibited "unusually anxious and abnormal behaviour" following Loki's operation.

The zoo said its team were "absolutely heartbroken" at the decision.

It had faced criticism from some commentators on its social media accounts following the announcement, with one calling the decision "extreme."

This prompted the zoo to issue a statement to stress that the decision had not been taken lightly.

Wolf packIMAGE SOURCE,LEISURE AND CULTURE DUNDEE
Image caption,
The zoo said the other wolves became "unusually anxious" after Loki's operation

It said: "We can assure everyone that this difficult decision was taken following expert advice and consultation with the relevant professional bodies.

"We thank members of the public who have sent messages of support and for their kind consideration during this painful time for our team."

The centre closed for a day last week while Loki recovered from his operation as the other wolves had become "unusually anxious."

However, after an initially successful operation, he developed complications and was put down.

The zoo said: "The difficult decision was reached to save the animal from further pain.

"The other four wolves in the pack have been exhibiting unusually anxious and abnormal behaviour since the operation, and it is with great sadness that these wolves have also been euthanised as a result.

"This course of action was a last resort, and our team is absolutely heartbroken."

Dad on school run snaps 'massive' big cat 'size of a jaguar' in woods behind playground -or does he?

  My first thought was that this was a silly story and after a lot of consideration I decided it definitely WAS a silly story. A dad drops h...