Blue Mountains panther
Legendary Australian big cat
In Australian folklore, the Blue Mountains panther or Lithgow panther is a big cat said to exist by residents of the Blue Mountains area, west of Sydney, Australia, for over a century.
Theories suggest the animal may be a descendant of big cats released by World War II US soldiers, which had been used as military mascots. Alternatively, accounts of big cats released by travelling circuses, or which had escaped circuses, exist; as well as rumours that big cats were available for black market purchase in New South Wales in the 20th century.
Notable sightings
Over 500 sightings in 20 years have been reported of the panther. The Grose Vale Group, which has collected reports of sightings since 1998, claims it collects 20 to 30 sightings a year.
In 2018, Grant Denyer and his wife, television producer Cheryl Rogers, reported to have sighted the cat on their property. Photographs have also been recorded in Gippsland and Hawkesbury. In 2002, a Kenthurst teenager Luke Walker was attacked by what he stated to be a large feline; he suffered deep lacerations. Sightings have been made by a NSW Police Force detective, an officer of the Department of Agriculture, and Rural Fire Service personnel, as well as pilots.
Encounters continue to be reported upon in national newspapers as of 2020, when video footage was allegedly recorded in the grounds of Sydney Adventist Hospital, Wahroonga.
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This entry incorporates text from “Blue Mountains panther” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.