Big cats sightings: Black panther caught on video in Sydney’s North Shore

A university student appears to have caught a large black panther on video stalking through suburban Sydney.The video appears to confirm what has long been a part of Aussie folklore — a large, distinctly non-domestic cat roaming in Sydney’s Upper North Shore. Rumours of wild big cats, escaped from private owners or small zoos around the country, have been told all across Australia — from the Blue Mountains to South Australia and Western Australia, but a new video appears to have confirmed the mystery.
“Just captured this big boy behind the San Hospital in Wahroonga! Was very weird looked 1m plus long with a body on roids,” Alec McDonald wrote on Facebook yesterday, sharing the video.
Mr McDonald told Sunrise he’d been meditating when he spotted the creature, and was quick to start filming.
The video differs from other evidence of black panthers and big cats in Australia in that the footage is crystal clear and was shot in broad daylight.
RELATED: Grant Denyer installed cameras on his property after spotting black panther
RELATED: Reports of big cats roaming in Aussie wilderness and Sydney backyards
Animal tracker and survival teacher Jake Cassar told news.com.au he met with Mr McDonald, who he found “very trustworthy” and he believes the video is legitimate.
Mr Cassar said he first checked the video for the surrounding plants and trees, which he says are known to be in the Wahroonga area. He also said bird sounds heard in the video are distinct to the local region.
Mr Cassar then travelled to the site to do further checks, where he says he found an animal track and what he believes to be a big cat paw print.
RELATED: Otways Panther: Big cat spotted by wildlife photographer in Victoria
He said the paw print is bigger than a very large dog paw print — about a third bigger than one left by a German shepherd.
“I estimate this thing, this beast would be about 15 to 20kg.”
Mr Cassar said he’s tried to stay “open minded” about the idea that it could be a feral cat, saying he came to the video with a “scientific approach”.
“If it’s the biggest feral cat ever — which it clearly is — it’s cat-zilla! It’s off the chart,” he joked.
“If it’s the biggest feral cat ever we can take it out of the bush and study it.”
“That’s kind of where I’m coming from, not to demonise (feral cats).”
Late last year a woman told news.com.au she’d spotted what she believed was a black panther in the backyard of her mother’s house, also on Sydney’s Upper North Shore.
Rebecca, who didn’t want her surname published, spotted the creature in the backyard which is on the edge of the Ku-ring-gai National Park. She said she’d been close by when she made the sighting, about “eight or 10 steps” away, but was behind a glass door.
Rebecca said she’d contacted local authorities at the time who’d told her they’d received reports about big cats “from time to time”.