This cat made itself know around Tenterfield, Moree and Tamworth, in the New England area of NSW in the latter part of the 1950's.
Farmers felt that an animal seen in the area, a cat-like creature, larger than a greyhound sized dog, was killing their sheep.
The animal was seen frequently near the small town of Emmaville, from 1958 through to 1962. It killed often and in a way unlike feral dogs and wild dingos would.
One property alone lost 340 sheep in the 1956 to 1957 period.
the cat or cats, would avoid touching the wool. It would clean out the sheep right down to the bone, thats alot of meat!
Predations near Kingstown earned it another name..."The Kingston Killer".
There were definatlely more than one cat involved.
There was impressive eye witness testimony and footprints found, said to be equal in size to a Bengal tiger.
It was suggested by some that the animal could have been a marsupial lion, believed extinct for many thousands of years.
The animal was described as being,black with a feline head and a long tail. The overall shape resembling a leopard. it was reported as being around the same size as a shepherd dog.
Most kills were done at night, though the animal was also sighted in the daylight. Only singular animals were sighted. There was no evidence of the animals hunting in packs at all.
Local legend tells us that large panther was shot in a place called horse Stealer Gully in the early 1900's.
information was sourced from "out of the Shadows" by Tom Healy and Paul Cropper. 1994