Photo / Simon BakerĪ Mr Johnstone, who worked at Orana Park, told media the prints were undoubtedly those of a large cat. There was speculation a tiger had escaped from Orana Wildlife Park. Related articlesĪ Kaiapoi resident thought she saw a big cat in 1977. Her claims were vindicated several days later when large paw marks and animal droppings were discovered at nearby Pines Beach. Poor Clark was then subjected to ridicule and accused of being a liar. The search found no trace, and all cats from the zoo and circus were accounted for. Police amassed a search party, which included some staff from Orana Park, some of whom were armed with tranquiliser guns. Initially, it was thought a tiger might have escaped from Orana Wildlife Park in nearby Harewood, or from the circus that had been in the area a week earlier. She telephoned the police, who took her sighting seriously. Shocked and in disbelief, she decided not to say anything at first, but started worrying about small children heading to school later in the morning. When questioned by the media later, she stated she knew a pig when she saw one and an Alsatian, but this was definitely a tiger it was fair in colour and had a long tail. Covid 19 Coronavirus: Pumas roam Santiago Chile and big cats return to South Africa townĪn early riser, Clark opened the blinds one morning and saw a tiger by her front gate.Sighting of 'big cat' near Lake Tekapo stuns British tourist.

Picton woman's encounter with big cat-like creature in Marlborough.

Reports of big cats roaming in Aussie wilderness and Sydney backyards.

He told his father-in-law what he'd seen, and the older man recalled an incident from when he'd been working at the port in Lyttelton during World War I. Whinwray initially believed the cat to be some kind of mountain lion. In this abridged extract from his new book, New Zealand Mysteries, Scott Bainbridge looks at the legend of the Canterbury panther.ĭavid Whinwray, an amateur big cat hunter, has told of encountering what he described as a tawny-greyish cat about six metres away from him in Christchurch. Grainy photos show large black cats slinking around, but their existence has never been proven. Is it a puma? A mountain lion? A figment of the imagination? For years, South Islanders and tourists have claimed to have spotted an unlikely creature roaming the countryside.

Panther prowling black mountain lion