).
A real giveaway is the frequency of sightings around 'less respectable' collections. In the UK, lynx have often been spotted around certain parts of Norfolk, not far from the (now closed) great witchingham wildlife park (which would regularly advertise surplus lynx in a cage bird hobbyist's magazine), or on Dartmoor (where, for years, the local wildlife park under its previous owner deliberately bred large numbers of jaguar, tiger and puma to attract visitors). Either escapees stay in the area and aren't reported, or surplus animals are released, or possibly feral animals are attracted to the area to mate with the captive stock. The new owners of Dartmoor wildlife park claimed on the recent documentary series that their remaining two female pumas would often start calling at night when in season, supposedly to feral males in the area.
Many of the species caught in the UK were just escapees, and there was never any chance of a population being established. The clouded leopard was a known escapee from howletts, the servals on the Isle of Wight were likely escapees and did not survive long. Interstingly, Jungle cats have often turned up as roadkill around the southern ports, I recently read that sailors for the old east india company would take this species from Indian villages on board to control pests, and then presumably released them once they returned to England.
Given the behaviour of the press in relation to this issue, the longer the authorities can continue to dismiss or cover up evidence, the less chance of a public outcry forcing them to 'do something', compensate farmers etc. If it isn't real, it doesn't cost, basically.
If released/escaped cats are to be successful, they have to hunt, obviously they are going to do so at night. Searching for a black leopard or a puma in a rural area at night is like finding a needle in a haystack. All they have to do other than this is lie low during the day. It wouldn't be hard to remain undetected. So you are left with anecdotal evidence, occasional tracks/droppings and cat-like livestock kills.
And we are a tiny island in comparision to you
I do agree with our last 2 posters that big cats leave trails of evidence - if and when they roam the countryside - in the form of prey items, scats, urine markings and paw prints. Trailblazer camera-traps and igeneous large cat traps would be used when wild cats would be about and obviously lead to scientifically verifiable evidence of wild cat activity and capture.
In the UK - to date - the above has never happened despite all those lurid newspaper reports and glitsy documentaries on Animal Planet et al. They have never ever truthfully and scientifically verifiably established the existence of any individual large wild cat of any species within the UK, let alone any breeding populations. It is sad to have to admit that those most in the media are those parts of society that are either emotionally not stable, hold curious views re conspiracy theories and lastly never ever have the slightest understanding of scientifically based zoological research.
The Australian reports however seem to hold some thruth, allthough again the scientific community seems not be involved in establishing whether wild cat species actually do exist in the wild. The current newspaper photo series is obviously not helping and proves that most journalists never verify their stories with the experts ... otherwise you would not publish ridiculously cheapish photos of cats on the pavement. If that is supposed to be a wild cat ... go kill yourself (these are between 80-130 kgs and have a completely different body structure and locomotion)!
I wish that - as bigcatspecialist suggested for the UK - that the scientific community and wildlife authorities take over the operation of documenting the (non-)existence of wild cats in Australia. Canids and marsupial predators fine ..., so let us establish what really is going over!
Having said that it is far from needed to totally dismiss the reports by the general public as definite hoaxes ... despite those preposterous claims of Thylacoleo representatives living ..., and certainly as has been shown with purported thylacines ... to dismiss the photos as probably a mangy dog (if the photos are sub-quality say so, but do not pretext them as mangy dogs and what it might be if you do not have a shred of scientific evidence to suggest you are presenting these as valid and verifiable scientific claims)!
Suffice to say: I sincerely hope Australia's wildlife authorities will investigate the claims with vigour and determination and to so get at the bottom of the truth here!
This is the type of hocum we are surrounded with here within the UK, certain groups who kid on, fanciful and grandeous hocum. That's not evidence, nor will it ever be. Those like these groups who are not bona-fida business or charities, fail to submit accounts and are seen by the zoological and science community as on the fringes of normal behaviour. These cats have been espapees, from collections or from those who ahve them unlawfully. The skull was not what these groups state in its correct entiriety, and as for animal attacks...so far not one has been proven. Have spent as has many other good people, many times and years over showing such animal deaths are not "big cat" retalted deaths. The bbsc even got mud on their faces a wee while back when they stated "officially we have proof" that such a carcase was torn apart from a big cat. After many days of Forensic testing, it turned out to be from dogs, badgers and even foxes...a normal every day account of such caracases. Even DEFRA and the MOD (whom employ myself and some other qualified and experienced personnel, on a case by case basis), even these official bodies laugh at the absurd behaviour and scarmongering and laughable antics these groups get upto. Sorry, but the evidence from these so called "hard evidence" groups lacks any credable scientific, fact based truth. But then again, these are the groups who say were are invaded by well over 2000 big cats in the UK...what tosh!!