We're seeing elements common in folklore and eyewitness testimony:
-Folklore primes expectations, which affects perception.
-Folklore protects itself. It grows in the direction of strangeness. Corrections are aggressively discounted.
-How far, how big? Size and distance are both ambiguous. If you decide on one, you decide on the other.
-Ambiguous Low Information Zone images.
-I know what I saw. No awareness or appreciation that perception is a personal experience.
-Solid citizen fallacy. The witness is a jolly good fellow, so he can't be wrong. If you question his perception, or even his opinions, you're being rude.
-More witnesses equal better evidence. But misperceiving witnesses are self-selecting. Most witnesses don't report, because they didn't misperceive.
-Ambiguous physical evidence.
-Lore never advances past the intriguing, "There's something mysterious out there," stage.
Let's look at this video from 14 years ago...
According to reports, one of the great mysteries of the Australian bush is the frequent sightings of big cats, panther-like creatures that never seem to be caught.
Lore never advances past the intriguing, "There's something mysterious out there," stage.
This mystery has deepened with urban sprawl encroaching on rural land, leading to an increase in sightings in recent years, particularly on the outskirts of Melbourne. In broad daylight, this cat-like creature was observed stalking through the bush from a safe distance, with a camera capturing its every move. These incredible pictures provide evidence that big cats may be living in the nation's forests.
How far, how big?
Ambiguous LIZ images.
Andrew Blind, who knows the sight all too well, saw something similar lurking in the bush 70 kilometers outside of Melbourne.
Solid citizen fallacy.
He described it as a big black animal, low-slung and fairly heavily built, which crossed the road and disappeared from his sight. There have been other similar sightings in the area over the past ten years. These sightings are a frequent topic of conversation in Don Valley, a community with a population of 6,000.
Other locals recount their experiences of encountering a black panther-like creature, with some claiming to have seen it retreat into the bush. For years, there have been reported sightings of big black cats in the Australian bush, often compared to a panther or puma.
More witnesses equals better evidence
While no one has ever captured one, and few have had a camera handy when these creatures have been spotted, there are numerous reports and even some video footage, such as one taken at Lake Windermere near Mudgee in New South Wales.
Ambiguous LIZ images.
Sightings span across four states, including the Yarra Valley and Gippsland regions in Victoria, the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, southeast Queensland, and even Albany in Western Australia.
According to a national big cat database started nearly eleven years ago, there have been 437 sightings so far. One witness reported a cat about 5 feet 7 inches tall, with its back up to hip height, making a spectacular leap over a guardrail 3 meters off the ground.
How far, how big?
I know what I saw.
The creature was said to be the size of a jaguar with the speed of a leopard, leaving large paw prints in soft soil near some sheds. Despite ongoing investigations and DNA analysis efforts, including some supported by governments, conclusive evidence proving the existence of these large cats remains elusive.
Ambiguous physical evidence.
Some experts suggest that these sightings could just be large feral cats, which can grow to twice the size of a typical household cat after a few generations in the wild. However, many witnesses, including experienced hunters, remain convinced that what they saw was no ordinary feral cat.
I know what I saw.
Folklore protects itself.
In 2005, a deer hunter named Kurt Angle
Solid citizen fallacy.
shot a huge creature, keeping only its 60-centimeter tail. DNA tests later revealed it was 98% likely to be a feral cat.
Ambiguous physical evidence.
Despite this, Andrew remains adamant that what he saw was not a feral cat but a fluid and stealthy creature that moved smoothly over the terrain.
I know what I saw.
Even the Premier of New South Wales called for a formal investigation of the big cats back in 2008,
Solid citizen fallacy.
saying there were too many reports of sightings to ignore the matter. The mystery continues to deepen as more sightings are reported.
More witnesses equals better evidence.
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