Puma sighted on road
8 February 2010
Lilydale & Yarra Valley Leader
Copyright 2010 News Ltd. All Rights Reserved
REGARDING the article ``Big cat rumours reignited in the Yarra Ranges'' (Leader, January 19)
I saw the back half of a big black puma on the lower part of the Mt Donna Buang Rd at Warburton about two years ago during the snow season.
It was jet black, very large, and slender with a long straight tail, so long that it curved back up from the ground. Considering the tail, and back legs, it was definitely a big cat and not a dog that I saw. At first I wondered if it was some kind of domestic big cat from a circus, until I did research and found that there are still wild sightings in Australia from pumas left by US navy ages ago.
I reported the sighting but there didn't seem to be much interest. I was worried about the impact of the presence of these cats on local wildlife. I looked through online local papers, and found several stories of attacks on farm dogs and horses by an unknown wild animal. Also there was a scared kangaroo that ended up in someone's back yard, although they attributed it to drought conditions. I think there needs to be a campaign to eradicate these pumas to protect our wild and domestic animals, or capture them for return to the USA.
Posted online January 27.
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