I thought you might find this interesting,guys!

[catseyes]

Australia has no indigenous felids, though the extinct Thylacoleo (a giant predatory wombat) evolved a lion-like form and habits. New Zealand is even less likely to be home to lion-like cats; its indigenous dominant life forms were giant birds. Domestic cats are naturalised and widespread in Australia and New Zealand. Feral dogs are often misidentified as big cats in countries with no indigenous big cats.

The Queensland Tiger, Yarri or Striped Marsupial Cat of York Peninsula (north-western Australia) was described in 1969, but has been recorded over many years particularly in Queensland. An early sighting of a "tiger" was in 1705 sighting in Batavia. It is also believed to have been recorded in Aboriginal art. It stands 18 inches at the shoulder and resembles a small, half-grown tiger with a tail as long as its body and stripes from the small of its back to the butt of its tail. Though the striping pattern matches that of the extinct thylacine, the head was unmistakably feline. In 1871, it was described as being the size of a native dog, but round-faced like a cat, long-tailed and striped from the ribs under the belly with yellow and black. Another report described it as larger than a pointer-dog, fawn-coloured with darker brown markings, long-tailed and round-headed with no visible ears. In the early 1900s they were shot as pests and were described as about 4 ft long and fawn with black stripes running across the fairly long body, round-faced and having 4 exposed tiger teeth. One smaller specimen had approximately 10 offspring suckling from it. Another witness emphasised that it was not a feral domestic cat.

During the early 1880s, Norwegian zoologist Carl Lumholtz was study the fauna of north eastern Queensland. Local aboriginals told him of a savage tiger-like beast they called the Yarri and which European settlers later called the Queensland Tiger. It was generally feline and the size of a dingo, but had shorter legs, long tail and stripes encircling its body. It could climb trees, but preferred rocky areas where it preyed on wallabies. A sighting in 1900 partly resembled a lightly built large domestic cat with well-defined 2.5 inch wide hoops of alternating dun and white encircling its body as far as its torso. A S le Souef and Harry Burrell included it in their "The Wild Animals of Australasia" (1926). In 1955, Heuvelmans devoted a chapter to the Queensland Tiger in "Sur la Piste des Bêtes Ignorées"(On the Track of Ignored/Unknown Animals). Dr Ellis Troughton (curator of mammals at the Australian Museum) included it in "Furred Animals of Australia" (1965).

In 1930, one was found on a dead calf by G de Tournoeur and P B Scougall between Munna Creek and Tiaro: "he was nearly the size of a mastiff, of a dirty fawn colour, with a whitish belly, and broad blackish tiger stripes. The head was round, with rather prominent lynx-like ears, but unlike that feline there was a tail reaching to the ground and large pads. We threw a couple of stones at him, which only made him crouch low, with ears laid flat, and emit a raspy snarl, vividly reminiscent of the African leopard's nocturnal 'wood-sawing' cry." They chased it off by cracking their stockwhips at it, but it still growled defiantly at them as it left. Another sighting of an angry Queensland Tiger noted its growling whine, rasping snarl, lynx-like ears (laid flat in anger) and tail lashing in anger (a feline trait). One was allegedly observed killing a kangaroo while other descriptions include arboreal tendencies. A Queensland Tiger spotted on Mount Bartle Frere in 1968 was described as having a round, broad head, a nose shorter and broader than a dog's and some of its teeth appeared to protrude out and upwards like tusks.

In recent years, reports have dwindled though in 1982 a leopard-size creature with a cat-like gait and heavily striped tail was reported near Perth. In 1984, a panther-sized striped cat-like animal was seen sitting in a tree devouring a sheep and also heard roaring near a creek at Daintree. In 1987, a hunter near Hughenden was pursuing a dingo he had wounded when a large hay-coloured animal with black body stripes suddenly appeared and attacked and ate the dingo. In mid-September 1995, a dead female Queensland Tiger was allegedly found beside the Bruce Highway about 12.5 miles south of Cardwell. It was described it as the size of a small cattle dog, with a cat-like face, short pointed ears, large hindquarters and stripes near the chest from backbone down to belly. The distinctive stripes were regularly spaced on a dark tan background colour. The tail had a tiny white tip. Some of the dark brown hairs below the chest had black tips, formed four black stripes. The remains were too mangled and decomposed for conclusive identification though DNA tests on the fur might solve the puzzle.

The thylacine can be discounted as it cannot climb trees and its stripes do not encircle its body. A remnant population of Thylacoleo carnifex (Marsupial Sabre Tooth, Marsupial Lion) has been suggested and is theoretically possible. The "mini" Queensland Tigers might be aberrant striped forms of the normally spotted "Native Cat" (Dasyurus maculatus). Although Australian feral domestic cats are sometimes described as twice the size of normal domestic cats, this is hyperbole perpetuated by the Australian anti-cat lobby; feral domestic cats in Australia are within the normal domestic cat size range.

The Ozenkadnook Tiger (Victoria, Australia) was photographed in the 1960s and is a dog-headed beast whose foreparts appear striped black and white while the rump and tail are white.

The Australian Panther and Australian Puma are particularly reported in New South Wales, with the town of Emmaville being prominent (hence "Emmaville Panther" in some reports). It is described as jet black in colour. A black panther allegedly escaped from a crashed circus truck near Nowra in 1966. Panther paranoia spread to Western Australia with reports of livestock killings and sightings of long-tailed big cats though the official view of the "Kulja Panthers" identified them as black kangaroo dogs and one such dog was shot. In common with Britains Anomalous Big Cats, two main forms were described: tawny puma-like cats and jet-black leopard-like cats and sometimes both together with cubs! One explanation is that they are feral domestic cats observed from a distance in conditions where perspective makes them appear larger. Another explanation is that they are escaped exotic pets or zoo animals (from times when zoos were less secure than now) or animals smuggled into the country, evading importation and quarantine laws, and released when someone grew suspicious. The Coupan or Cordering Cougar is a mystery black cat reported in south western Australia since the 1970s.

The New Zealand Lion reported in 1977 was described as a large lion with big yellow eyes. Though a travelling circus was in the area, they denied losing any lions. It was not heard of again. New Zealand Lions or Panthers are supposedly puma-like big cats spotted in mountainous regions of South Island. New Zealand has no native mammals apart from bats. The New Zealand Tiger was spotted soon after. It was variously dismissed as a hoax, a large domestic cat or the escaped pet of a local man that had been recaptured before the polic caught up with it. Like the lion, it was not reported again.

The New Guinea Tiger, reported by Lord Rothschild, is described as a large striped creature with a cat-like head.

[catseyes]

There have also been reports of full grown, heavily mained lions comming out of the Blue Mountains area!  It is a fascinating subject!

[catseyes]

heres an interesting article; http://www.strangenation.com.au/Articles/darkpanther.htm

[Christine]

Lions coming out of the Blue Mountains! I'd love to see that! I vaguely recall something about a circus animal escaping in the Blue Mountains a long time ago.
Christine

[catseyes]

I think several states have the 'circus animal' escape thing, but is it documented?  I don't know personally.  Doesn't the Tommy Hanlin Circus winter somewhere in NSW!  I wonder wether you would broadcast a missing animal, if your liscence and livelyhood depended on how secure you could keep them!

[Christine]

True actually I have never seen it documented anywhere.
Christine

[violet]

Very interesting ce, thanks! I would love to think there is a native Australian 'tiger'.

[Alien88]

There have also been reports of full grown, heavily mained lions comming out of the Blue Mountains area!  It is a fascinating subject!

Great, I have been on many bush walks in that area over the years.

[Alien88]

http://www.strangenation.com.au/Articles/darkpanther.htm

Can anyone open the above link.

[angelite64]

The Bullen Family ran the Bullen's African Lion Safari at Wallacia.   It was like a drive through game reserve.  There was also their Animal World at Mulgoa.  Both closed down in the late 1970's or early 80's.  The owned many large cats and it was believed that some may have escaped but it was kept quiet.

[angelite64]

Sorry, African Lion Safari closed in 1991.  It was at Warragamba and their Animal World was at Wallacia.  This area borders on the Blue Mountains National Park.

[Christine]

I remember Bullens Animal World.

The link doesn't work for me either.

[JulieD]

I am related by marriage to the Bullens

[Alien88]

I have been to the safari on many occasions as a kid and there were loads of big cats. That is why I am not surprised at all if some of those cats had escaped and survived.

[angelite64]

We used to visit the lion safari often when i was a kid.  I would not be surprised either, if some managed to escape.