Scottish Big Cats (BCIB) have backed an appeal to landowners and gamekeepers throughout Scotland to help in the hunt for a mystery black cat about the size of a Scottish wildcat.
To date three bodies of this cat species have been discovered; and a historical reference dating to the 1930's has also been found. Unlike the popularly named Kellas cat, which is simply a black form of wildcat, this animal appears to be unlike any known species of feline.
The shape of the head is long and narrow, with a small cranium for the skull size. It has a very large Roman nose and extremely long canine teeth. Specimens obtained to date have been provided by gamekeepers in the course of their duties.
Author Di Francis has requested that any such cat caught alive is not killed but kept secure until the animal can be sedated and removed safely from the trap. Both she and members of the BCIB are keen to examine any strange looking cats discovered dead as a result of road kills or keepering.
Nicknamed the Rabbit-headed-cat because of its resemblance to a cartoon rabbit, this creature may be an exciting zoological discovery.
If you see an animal that fits the description, or find one dead, please contact any of the following:
Mark Fraser (BCIB Ayrshire) 07940 016972 - http://www.scottishbigcats.org/
Shaun Stevens (BCIB Argyllshire) 07778 511679 - http://www.scottishbigcats.org/
Di Francis (Banffshire) 01542 810760 - http://www.scottishbigcats.org/
Nick, if three examples are known of, were they not recent enough for DNA samples to've been taken?
ReplyDeleteBecause their description definitely makes this cat sound like a quite distinct species as opposed to a mere cross breed.
Your reference to a "large Roman nose" set off a chain of associations in my head leading me to wonder if the origin of this particular species should prove not to be travelling circuses/zoo escapees then could it lie as far back as the days of the Romans - a la Hadrian's Wall - who were very fond of their menageries?
The question of how such a 'forgotten' species could survive that long then set me off thinking about the supposed capacity of some categories of ninja and certain Sufis to become 'invisible', one of the supposed explanations for which is the ability to direct mental commands at others to be unaware of them.
If such things are possible - and personal experience disposes me to think they may be - then who's to say the Scottish Big Cat or, for that matter, Bigfoot, can't've developed their own version of such a capacity simply out of sheer necessity?
Just a thought.
Alan:
ReplyDeleteI'm unsure of the whole story and its history and background; but there is no doubt that although many people seem to think Big Cats in the UK are a modern phenomenon, they are not.
A study of the subject reveals a a number of intriguing accounts dating back a LONG time.
A book that I think you will find interesting is "Mystery Big Cats" by Merrily Harpur.
I am reviewing the book here later this week. It's a great read with a very intriguing theory that I think you'll find fascinating.