Editing Phantom cat (section)

==Australia==

{{See also|Cats in Australia}}

Sightings of exotic [[big cat]]s in Australia began more than 100 years ago. The [[New South Wales]] State Government reported in 2003 that "more likely than not" there was a number of exotic big cats living deep in the [[bushland]]s near [[Sydney]].<ref name="smh">{{cite news|url= http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/01/1067597200706.html |title= Big cats not a tall tale |work= The Sun-Herald |date=2 November 2003 |author= Eamonn Duff |access-date=9 February 2010}}</ref>

===Blue Mountains panther===
{{Main|Blue Mountains panther}}

The Blue Mountains panther is a phantom cat reported in sightings in the [[Blue Mountains (New South Wales)|Blue Mountains]] area, west of [[Sydney]] for over a century. Speculation about the Blue Mountains panther includes the theory that it descended from either circus or zoo escapees, or is a descendant of a military mascot.

Video footage showing a large black cat near [[Lithgow, New South Wales|Lithgow]] was examined by a group of seven zoo, museum, parks, and agriculture staff, who concluded that it was a large domestic cat (2&ndash;3 times normal size) based partly on its [[Morphology (biology)|morphology]] and partly on the behaviour of a nearby normal-sized domestic cat.<ref name="NSW report">{{cite web |author=Bill Atkinson |date=2003 |title=Report on information available on the reported large black cat in the Blue Mountains |url=http://www.mysteriousaustralia.com/nsw_gov_report.html |access-date=9 February 2010 |publisher=NSW Agriculture}}</ref>

===Gippsland phantom cat===
In the [[Gippsland]] region of southeastern [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[United States|American]] [[World War II]] airmen brought [[cougar]]s with them as mascots and allegedly released them in the Australian bush.<ref name="SMH map">{{cite web |url=http://www.smh.com.au/media/2003/11/02/1067597215449.html |title=Big cat sightings and theories |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=[[Sydney Morning Herald]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113043212/http://www.smh.com.au/media/2003/11/02/1067597215449.html|archive-date=13 November 2007}}</ref>

===Grampians puma===
A study by [[Deakin University]] concluded that the existence of big cats in the [[Grampian Mountains (Australia)|Grampian Mountains]] area could not be definitively demonstrated based on available evidence. The evidence was strong enough, however, for the author to believe the probability of big cats in the area is “beyond reasonable doubt".<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Henry |first1=John |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/224010721 |title=Pumas in the Grampians mountains: a compelling case? ; an updated report of the Deakin Puma Study |last2=Deakin University |last3=Faculty of Education |date=2001 |publisher=Deakin University |location=Geelong, Vic. |language=English |oclc=224010721}}</ref>

===Sunshine Coast big cats===
There have been some claims that big cats have stalked the hinterland of the [[Sunshine Coast, Queensland]], since early in the 19th century.<ref name="ABC_News_20090114_MenClaim_PhantomCat">
{{cite web |date=14 January 2009 |title=Men claim evidence of 'panther like' cat in Qld bush |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/14/2466186.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213070247/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/14/2466186.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 February 2009 |access-date=15 January 2009 |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]}}
</ref><ref name="ABC_News_20090114_ColdWaterPouredonBigCatClaims">
{{cite web |date=14 January 2009 |title=Cold water poured on 'big cat' claims |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/14/2466186.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213070247/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/14/2466186.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 February 2009 |access-date=15 January 2009 |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]}}
</ref> These claims have been met with skepticism.<ref name="ABC_News_20090114_ColdWaterPouredonBigCatClaims" />

===Tantanoola tiger===
The region around [[Tantanoola, South Australia|Tantanoola]], a town in the southeast of [[South Australia]], was supposed to have been the stalking ground of "Tantanoola tiger" during the late 19th century. On 25 August 1895, an animal believed to be the Tantanoola tiger was shot by Tom Donovian and identified as an Assyrian wolf; although no such species appears to exist. It was stuffed and remains on display in the Tantanoola Hotel.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tantanoola |publisher=[[Wattle Range Council]] |url= http://www.wattlerange.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=221 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070928231323/http://www.wattlerange.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=221 |archive-date=28 September 2007 |access-date=31 May 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Millicent |work=Sydney Morning Herald |date=8 February 2004 |url= http://www.smh.com.au/news/South-Australia/Millicent/2005/02/17/1108500204422.html}}</ref>