A Red Panda...In Cornwall?

 It needs to be pointed out once again that there is a big -very big- market in exotic pets in the UK with breeders selling via Face Book pages and using "secure mobile apps" (not a good sign of honest dealing.

Currently skunks, meerkats, porcupines and many others including smaller exotic cats are being bought, bred and sold so the situation and control is worse than in 2000.

The story

Shop staff knew it wasn't a cat when they first spotted it CREDIT: Rachel Craze Freshpoint

A red panda thought to have escaped from a zoo was rescued by police officers and staff at a fruit and vegetable market where it was spotted wandering.

The endangered animal was discovered in Newquay, Cornwall, after reportedly fleeing Newquay Zoo.

Rachel Craze of Freshpoint said her members of staff rounded up the animal - which had travelled about a mile until police officers arrived and kept it contained until zoo staff arrived.

“I knew straight away it was a red panda - I’d seen them at the zoo - and in a Disney movie I think,” Ms Craze said. “My staff recognised it wasn’t a cat and they made a barricade to stop it running any further down the road.

The escapee was spotted early on a Friday morning CREDIT: Rachel Craze Freshpoint

Police cornered the exotic animal around the back of housing CREDIT: Rachel Craze Freshpoint

“They ushered it into a sheltered housing complex across the road. Shortly afterwards three police officers arrived and didn’t have a clue what to do - then the zoo staff arrived.

“They rounded it up - but the cute, cuddly red panda wasn’t quite so cute and cuddly when it was being put it in the back of a van,” Ms Craze said. “I’m very proud of my staff. I doubt the panda would have lasted very long on the road - or had the seagulls spotted it.”

A spokesman for the company said staff distracted the red panda with an apple before cornering it. A zookeeper with a net eventually caught the animal.

Insp Guy Blackford posted online following the incident on Friday morning: “Not often Newquay Police… get sent to an escaped red panda from the local zoo. Panda rescue is not a topic taught in police training yet!”

Newquay Zoo has been contacted for comment.

End note (THS): considering what appears to be current UK police forces policy the red panda was lucky not to be tazered or shot "in case".

Did The Lynx Survive Until The 18th Century In The UK?

 

Pages

13

Binding

Saddle Stitch

Interior Color

Color

Dimensions

A4 (8.27 x 11.69 in / 210 x 297 mm)

£11.00

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/did-lynx-survive-until-18th-century-in-uk/paperback/product-r5nwpm.html?page=1&pageSize=4

For many the lynx (Lynx lynx) died out during the last ice age in Britain. However, the historical evidence shows that it continued until hunted to extinction during the Medieval period.

Over recent years many have claimed that the lynx in fact survived up to the 18th century -some state it survived later than that.

In this publication naturalist Terry Hooper-Scharf assesses the evidence and points to reports and other factors not widely known to draw a definitive conclusion on the subject

The Red Paper 2022 Volume I -Canids

 

361 pp

Paperback

Interior Color & Black and white

Dimensions A4 (8.27 x 11.69 in / 210 x 297 mm

£25.00

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/the-red-paper-2022-volume-1-canids/paperback/product-r97ywj.html?

 When the Doggerland bridge flooded the British Isles became separated from

Continental Europe and its wildlife developed uniquely. The British Isles, for the purpose of this work includes Ireland, and isolated the wolves on both became what would be island species not affected by the usual island dwarfism. These wolves, after millennia. Became “unwanted” and forests and woodland was burnt down or cut down for the specific purpose of lupicide; the killing of every and any wolf –and there was a bounty for “a job well done”. At the same time there also developed three unique island species of Old fox from the coyote-like Mountain or Greyhound fox, the slightly smaller but robustly built Mastiff or Bulldog fox and the smaller Common or Cur fox –the latter like today’s red foxes had a symbiotic relationship with humans. These canids were mainly ignored until it was decided that they could provide fur and meat and those things earn money. From that point onward, especially after all other game had been killed off, the fox faced what writers over the centuries referred to as vulpicide –extermination through bounties paid, trapping or hunting and despite all the hunters noting that the Old foxes were nearing extinction they continued to hunt until by the late 1880s the Old were gone and replaced by the New –foxes imported by the thousands every year for the ‘sport’ of fox hunting and this importation also led the the UK seeing the appearance of mange (unknown before the importations). The travelling British sportsmen went coyote, wolf and jackal hunting and on returning to England wanted to bring a taste of this to “the good old country”. Wolves, jackals and coyotes were set up in hunting territories from where they could learn the lay of the land and provide good sport later. Some hunts even attempted to cross-breed foxes, jackals and Coyotes. Then there were the legendary –almost mythical– “beasts”; the black beast of Edale, the killer canids of Cavan and the “girt dog” of Ennerdale. In more recent times raccoon dogs and arctic foxes have appeared in the UK; some released for ‘sport’ while others are exotic escapees long since established in the countryside. If you thought you knew what fox hunting was about prepare to be woken up by a sharp slap to the face and the reality that, by admissions of hunts themselves, this was all about fun and sport and nothing to do with “pest control”.

Did the Lynx Survive in the UK until the 18th century?

 Should be available Monday

They Stalk By Night...George Did Not, However

 I had to reference some old correspondence the other day pertaining to the EAR and Devon reports of "big cats".  There was correspondence from Nigel Brierly who authored the 1989 book They Stalk By Night subtitled "The big cats of Exmoor and the South West".

Nigel appeared in the press and TV items about British 'big cats' regularly and along with naturalist Trevor Beer was one of my main contacts in Devon and Cornwall.  Hailed as an "expert in hair analysis" and identifying various cats from this work I made a note that if any hairs came my way I would ask Nigel to look at them.

Then, out of the blue, I was sent some hair samples from a close quarter sighting of a lynx in Wiltshire. Nigel said that he was more than willing to take a look and offer an identification. So I bagged up the hairs and sent them recorded delivery and awaited Nigel's analysis.  A week later I got a phone call from him followed by a letter stating that the hairs were from "A Eurpean lynx". 

So I went to the file and then stared in utter disbelief. The lynx hair samples were still in the file. At the time things were quite hectic and I had asked someone to move the hairs and this is where the great blunder happened. Hair tufts from my cat, George, had been bagged and I had not double-checked before inserting my covering note and posting. George was a big fluffy cat but definitely not a lynx!

George in his mid twenties. A large cat but definitely not a lynx (c)2023 T. Hooper

So what could I do? I was not too embarrassed to admit that I had made a mistake but it could embarrass Nigel so I decided to keep quiet and, after all, it was a private exchange between the two of us. What I did was re-send the actual lynx hairs and suggested that they were unrelated to the first samples. 

A week later I received a phone call from Nigel who asked whether I had any more of the hair samples? I asked which ones (fearing he realised my first mistake) and was told the actual lynx hairs and so explained that he had all three hairs. "Oh dear" was not the reply I expected and I soon found out that somehow the hairs had "been misplaced" and was told he would search again. The hairs were never found.

Nigel at work c mid 1980s

It was this exchange that made sure that I double and triple checked any material evidence and clearly marked everything. It also made me decide that I would hold on to any evidence until a certified lab could be involved. When I asked a zoologist how easy it was for a cat hair to be misidentified under a microscope for a lynx hair I got a very strange look and a comment about the identifier that I'll not repeat.

I began to wonder about all the hair samples Nigel had analysed and identified as coming from various cats such as lynx, puma and leopard -how accurate were those identifications? As it turns out the ones I could trace back supposedly came from different species of cat observed than the hair ID gave. 

Looking at Brierly's book again and seeing plaster casts of dog tracks identified as 'puma' tracks, etc I no longer get the sinking feeling I used to. It's what I have come to expect from "credible" 'big cat' experts" and when you remember that there is a colour photograph in the book of a 'big cat'....

You look at it and see that it is clearly 100% a fox. There is not the slightest doubt. I have a couple hundred or so similar in the Fox Photo Data Base. It is a fox. The book itself (I have a signed copy) is seen as a much sought after classic on the subject but going through the pages again there is so much misleading information that it ranks alongside the work of Di Francis.

Later of course we had police and others submit hairs to certified labs and came back with Panthera pardus (leopard) identification, etc. The problem is that if you are not a naturalist but an hobbyist then almost anything will appear to be evidence -even cat and dog prints and hairs. I learnt a long time ago to never guess at an identification or cause until the actual evidence has been examined by experts in the field and a conclusion drawn

'Big cat DNA' found after sheep attack in Gloucestershire -WHY is this "breakthrough news"?

 Good publicity for a documentary company but certainly not news unless you have no knowledge of the history of these cats in the UK. https://exoticanimalsregister.blogspot.com/2017/12/im-not-being-rude-butpuma-poo.html?fbclid=IwAR0txbY2-lUTJHtF8t6Y9zrZ00WE7c1JF18YCoaj-0JpUIDMjL48fGh8Grk

Oh and the cat in the news photo -its a domestic cat.

https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/cheltenham-news/big-cat-dna-found-after-8431000?fbclid=IwAR36eUNEX8Bsd3v0jmLbxO7b9Xj1uMi_E-QktQQbbvVnIfw8rAiP6jqBQIY

Is there now proof of big cats in Gloucestershire?

DNA from a black hair caught on a barbwire fence in Gloucestershire following a sheep attack has been offered as 'definitive proof' big cats are roaming the British countryside. The single strand was sent off for testing after being recovered from a farm where there had been some "unusual predatory" activity.

Suspicion was raised when video footage of a large black animal was also captured only a few miles away from where the sample was taken. And documentary-makers, who had been investigating sightings across the UK, say the test has now come back 'positive' and confirmed the existence of black panthers and other big cats living in the UK.

A forensic laboratory took on the species identification task and used mitochondrial DNA analysis to ascertain a 99 per cent match to a big cat species. The findings have come to light as part of filming for an upcoming documentary Panthera Britannia Declassified - which investigates claims of big cat sightings in Britain.

Matthew Everett, from Dragonfly Films, said: "The DNA was from hairs caught on a barbwire fence where there had been some unusual predatory activity. It’s taken five years for the production team to find such evidence and film its journey from collection to analysis.

New DNA evidence has 'confirmed the existence of black panthers and other big cats living in Britain'

"People in Gloucestershire and Britain have described what appear to be black leopards for decades. So, a leopard DNA result from a black hair sample is unsurprising. This is not the first such DNA result and is unlikely to be the last.

"There is a great deal of ‘secondary evidence’ for these cats, such as consistent witness reports, but hard evidence like DNA is hard to get, so the contribution from this documentary is very helpful.

"Collecting such evidence from local people, farmers and landowners is essential - Citizen Science like this will hopefully help us learn more about the Bagheera type big cats which may be quietly naturalising here."

Several sightings of a large black cat were reported last year in Gloucestershire - including reports of one on the side of the motorway and another near an airport. The farm where the DNA sample was recovered has had two individual sheep kill incidents in five years.

During that time there have been regular sightings of cats resembling black leopards in the nearby countryside.

The previous sheep carcass at the same farm as the DNA result, was assessed for its tooth pits, which are marks on the bones from carnassial teeth of an animal that has fed on the carcass. Tooth pit analysis conducted at the Royal Agricultural University suggests that relatively large carnivores have fed on the carcasses examined, because of the impacted bones.

Witnesses commonly describe black panthers they see as 'healthy' and 'confident', which suggests they grew up in their environment.

These cats mainly prey on wild animals like deer, and they have been reported pursuing foxes and even mousing, and going for ducks, geese and pigeons. While they can switch to sheep, it seems that they much prefer natural game.

Dragonfly Films is currently pursuing broadcast options for Panthera Britannia Declassified. An earlier version of the film “Panthera Britannia” available on Amazon Prime, Vimeo and Apple TV.

The Brecon Beacons Lynx

 I was alerted to this post fairly quickly on Sunday (30th March) by my colleague, LM. Before this got on to any of the British 'big cat' groups I wanted to ascertain some facts.

Does the animal in the trail com photo look like a lynx? 

Body shape etc is correct. People have noted a spotted coat pattern leading to various lynx ssp(sub species) identifications. Others have speculated that the spotted pattern indicates a

 juvenile large ('big') cat.  Firstly, the quality is such that these seem to be images of images and if you actually enlarge them everything is spotted! Just what juvenile large cat people had in mind I have no idea especially when the body form, etc is lynx.

My message to the person concerned read:

"Hello. Just wanted to message you quickly as someone sent me a copy of a photo you posted on a Brecon group of a cat? My name is Terry Hooper-Scharf and I set up and run the Exotics Animal Register (EAR) which tends to work with police forces, farmers, etc etc. I wondered whether you could tell me when and where you got the photos and whether the camera was placed at the location due to sightings in the area? I'll get back to you asap. Thanks"

Now some 15 hours later this person who was looking for an answer has still not posted or replied. This seems quite common on British 'big cat' groups. This takes me to looking at the poster himself.

Interestingly he has never posted on the group involved before which as a person using trail cams on a group aimed at photographing the Brecons is odd but that is all. When it comes to the profile page of the poster a lot of red flags pop up. At one point when Face Book was still a social media thing it sent out advice to those on the platform about how to spot possible fake accounts and scammers. It was a "point-by-point" guide and still holds up in 2023.

"Luke Martins" account has all of these red flags and to which has to be added that he has not posted before on any group. This all leads to suspicions.

Now take a look at the "screenshots" themselves. Notice anything unusual? Well, all data has been removed. If you have never used a trail cam you will be unaware that a date/time stamp is imprinted on every video clip or image taken by the camera as below -

This is important information as it tells you that the footage was taken on a specific date and time so if these were images "just" taken why would you remove what is evidence that backs you up? Not from one image but all of them and there is "meta data" in posted photographs that you can check but not if you are posting a saved/copied and cropped image.

There are also certain things in frame that indicate that size markers are in place. Now why would you have size markers to judge an animals size, etc unless you were expecting wildlife to pass through regularly?   This is why I asked why the camera was set up at that specific  spot?

Within four minutes of looking I had enough in the way of lynx (and puma) trail cam images that I could mount a good hoax. Look at the image below: an actual Bobcat rather than a lynx taken in Brecon during the last winter?

What proves that it is not is when you leave the data on the image:

We then get the question of why post to a Welsh regional group rather than ask for an ID from a 'big cat' group?  Well... if you want to push a 'faked' image and go straight to a cat group the first thing you will get (apart from abusive comments and nonsense) are questions that might be awkward but in those cases (again as I have found personally) the poster will hit back with a "You're a debunker!" and "I have an even better quality image than this one but based on your attitude I am not going to share it!" which is all supposed to wrong-foot you but is 3 metre tall neon lighting spelling out "hoax".

Also. for the past couple of months Welsh cat groups have been discussing the lynx reports from Wales (even though some cases are not of lynx) and how it will only be a matter of time before a photographer or trail cam gets a good shot of a lynx.

Oh look.

The area involved was also a little odd. Since the 1970s I have spoken with farmers, shepherds and many others around the Brecon Beacons and have a good idea of what might be where. It does not rule out a lynx being seen but the credibility factors here ...just do not exist. It was quite obvious that if you posted to a Welsh group of any type then those interested in large cats would get to see the image quickly.

If you use a trail cam and catch a good image then you do not chop off date/time AND you had better be prepared to prove the images/video was taken in Wales. Incidentally, one might ask why the camera took no video footage?  It probably did, however, such a video clip would have all the meta data to identify original source, etc and you have be a pretty dumb hoaxer to submit that.