Need your help.

[wayne1]

Greetings to all from Australia. I have a story to tell you. For the past 100 years now, we folk in Australia have had reports of big cats. The sightings and predation on livestock has increased substantially in the past 10 years. Reports of sightings and close encouters are becoming more common. These reports and sightings refer to leopards and cougars. Don't laugh! It's true. Recently a book entitled AUSTRALIAN BIG CATS...An Unnatural history of Panthers ..by ...Mike Willams & Rebecca Lang has been written about these animals. Our National and State Governments are in denial, but the crux of the problem is that, nobody has bagged one of the animals. This is where you guys can help. I know they are out there; I've seen them.
What I want to now is this:
1. I want to know how read their footprints, sex,age,weight etc.
2. Their habits and breeding cycles.
3. How dangerous and cagey they can be.
4. Are they a sent hunter or sight & sound hunter.
I need to bag one of the cats to show the Government that they do exist.
It seems pretty far fetched that these cats are roaming our bush, but we have had expert PH residing in Australia that we do have these FELIDS roaming around and they are getting bolder.
Many Thanks for any imput you can give.

Wayne1.

 

[dwerner]

You will find a lot of information about the biology and ecology of these cats by just googling it. Leopards are very illusive and can live on the outskirts of towns without being noticed. They love to prey on dogs, house cats, chickens and prey on anything from a mouse to a zebra. Leopards usually avoid people but are very dangerous when wounded or cornered. I guess cougars are show similar behaviour.