Actually the Puma is the largest of the small cats and is bigger than quite a few of the big cats. Considering how few leopards, jaguars and pumas are seen by natives of the their habitats I wouldn't be the least surprised if there were breeding populations of large cats scattered across the UK.
I think it was Coypu, not Capybara, that were released from fur farms in the '70s...
One way to find them if they are there would be to bring in a professional hunter with dogs specifically trained to hunt cougars. If they are around, especially in a reasonably small region compartively, the dogs would be very likely to find them.
I have a friend in Colorado whose neighbor is a professional mountain lion hunter/tracker and his dogs don't often fail in the vast San Juan mountain range of S. Colorado.
Probably not terribly cost effective shipping a pack of dogs and hunter across the Atlantic---but it's pretty amazing what TV stations/news organizatons will spend for an excusive story.
Interesting detail on the cougars, including size, etc. can be seen at: http://www.nps.gov/brca/naturescience/mountainlion.htm
Here in New Mexico, there have been reports over the last 20 years of sightings of Jaguars in the SW corner of the state--it was pretty much ignored or considered mistaken identity (i.e. alcohol or other recreational drug induced)--until about 5 years ago, an experienced hunter got several pictures of one and about 2 years ago one was was caught in a trap in SE. Arizona that later died in captivity. Running into one of those would get my attention.
There was a report of a Lynx hit by a car in Norfolk, which is what I was thinking of, plus there are these:
- 1991 - A Lynx was shot dead in Norfolk by a Devon Farmer
- 1989 - In Shropshire a Jungle Cat was fatally injured in a road crash
- 1988 - In Devon a Leopard Cat was shot
- 1988 - In Hampshire a Swamp Cat was killed crossing a road
- 1987 - On the Isle of Wight a Leopard Cat was shot
CountZero--Based on the dates of those occurances, it could have coincided with people releasing wild animals they had as pets when the UK law went into effect outlawing keeping wild animals----I don't know the life expectancy of large cats, but I would imagine it could run to 20 years in a location where they didn't have much in the way of natural predators (and lots of deer, sheep, small animals to eat)--the large cats are very adept at staying out of sigh. If you think of how the population/urban spread has increased since then, potential habitat has certainly decreased markedly.
We have our own native species of wild cat. It may not be very large, but how many of Joe Public have seen one in the wild?
To be honest, the majority of our native mammals are less than obvious in the countryside! I probably see foxes a couple of times a year (and there are lots where I live), have never seen an otter, polecat or pine marten and am pleasantly surprised on the occasions when I see badger, hare or weasel.
Regarding cameras- you'd have to be face to face before you get a clear shot with anything other than very expensive pro kit.... As I posted in the puppy thread, I struggle to get a good shot of our spaniel because she never keeps still long enough! Couple that with distance, say a couple hundred yards and it's no surprise photos ar blurred or indistinct.
So nothing for 20 years then. Given that the life expectancy of a Leopard is 20 years I think it's pretty certain that anything released after the laws prohibiting keeping dangerous animals is long since dead. Oh and I only live in Kent, but see deer, foxes and badgers pretty much every week during the warmer months and I saw a family of boar at Bedgebury about 5 years ago.
FWIW, the one I saw was in '98 at a distance of about 25-30 metres, moved like a cat and was definately bleck! It's very easy to write things off, but judging from where it had been sighted, it could quite easily have been some moneybags' illicit pet.
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If big cats are around its suprising that one has never been put up by a pack of fox hounds, you'd need a cougar with some big kahuna's not to run from a pack of hounds.
As ocrider suggests, just cos it's illegal to have these pets doesn't mean that people aren't keeping them anyway and then releasing them when someone threatens to shop them. Or they escape.
