By Leon Georgiou
It’s one of Australia’s oldest urban myths: alleged sightings of big cats in the wild, such as jaguars, pumas and cougars, that date back to the late 1800’s.
In South Australia, those sightings have tended to originate around the Limestone Coast spilling over the border into South West Victoria.
It started in 1885, when it was alleged that a Bengal Tiger had been spotted near the town of Tantanoola – having escaped from a travelling circus.
Around ten years later, a man by the name of Tom Donovan shot an animal harassing livestock around Mount Salt Station.
The remains, which resemble a dog or wolf hybrid, can still be found inside the Tantanoola Hotel.
But, the Tantanoola Tiger was no tiger at all.
The remains, which were taken to a taxidermist by Mr Donovan, were identified as an Assyrian Wolf… the tiger name however, stuck.
But even if the Tantanoola Tiger is actually a wolf, the question remains, how did a non-native animal get into the South East?
One tale is that the wolf belonged to a Russian sea captain and escaped from a ship anchored/docked in the area.
Other stories suggest it swam ashore from one of the many shipwrecks that litter the coastline – from Port MacDonnell to the Murray Mouth.
Similarly, there are two enduring theories used to explain how big cats made their way onto the Australian mainland.
The first is that the animals were introduced into the wild by travelling circuses; due to an animal escaping or simply being let loose.
The second theory is that the animals were introduced into Australia by American servicemen during the Second World War – who used the animals as mascots.
When the Australian Government told the defense forces to get rid of the animals, the theory goes that they were let into the wild, rather than killed.
Ultimately, the stories of big cat sightings and the theories behind their introduction into Australia have filled books.
However, the evidence offered for their existence has always been secondary, almost exclusively verbal reports of sightings.
In the past few decades, those sightings have been accompanied by blurry images and hasty out of focus video footage.
But for Michael Moss, an independent researcher from regional Victoria, the quest to prove the existence of big cats and thylacine within Australia, has been a lifelong consuming passion.
It all started in November 1998 when Mr Moss filmed, from a distance, what he believes to have been a Tasmanian Tiger: near Mount Best in South Gippsland.
“I grew up in a semi rural area so I know what foxes etcetera [look like] and I’ve seen nothing like this,” he said.
“That’s the only time I reckon I’ve come across them.”
Since then, Mr Moss has spent the better part of his adult life, some 25 years, attempting to find a specimen of the animal, a clear photograph or clear video footage; something to prove, definatelively, the animals’ existence.
In terms of compelling evidence for the existence of the Tasmanian Tiger, Mr Moss’ said it was his own personal sighting of the animal.
As for big cats, it’s the grisly remains of livestock that have been reported throughout farming communities around Australia.
In 1999, Mr Moss supplied the ABC’s Stateline program with footage of multiple livestock remains that had been brutally mainmed, disemboweled or dismembered – inconsistent with the known killing methods of native predators.
Even more bizarre were the large claw marks found on some of the livestock.
“You don’t expect native species to do that,” Mr Moss said.
“Even eagles, you wouldn’t expect them to do that to cattle.”
Mr Moss also notes that the people who claim to have seen a big cat are predominantly farmers or hunters; people who have knowledge of or experience with regional wildlife.
“I spend a lot of time networking in and out of the farming communities, which is what interests me,” he said.
“A lot of the people that claim to see these things are not city folk in Melbourne or Adelaide or whatever, they are actually country people.
“Which is really interesting for obvious reasons, most of them know their stuff.”
Back in 2011, four shooters were on their way to the Coorong to hunt when they claim to have seen a Doberman sized black cat, just off the road – there were five other known sightings within close proximity.
This series of sightings led Mr Moss to install a set of infra-red cameras in a nearby pine forest, hoping to capture footage of the elusive creature – but to no avail.
About three years ago, Mr Moss moved to Western Australia and has since focussed on sightings in geographical regions closer to his new home.
And he is optimistic, that with the help of some new technology, he might yet prove the naysayers wrong.
Mr Moss is betting on a relatively new method of biological monitoring, called environmental DNA or eDNA, to obtain conclusive evidence of big cats in Australia.
“Basically all animals shed skin or fragments of their being, if you like, into water and soil,” he said.
These fragments contain DNA, which can be compared with a database of known DNA samples from various animal species – including the Tasmanian Tiger – which can then be used to find a match from water or soil samples taken in the wild.
EnviroDNA is the first company in Australia to offer an eDNA service to consumers and its Mr Moss’ hope that people will utilise the company’s sampling kit to help find proof of Australia’s elusive big cats and – as far as we know – extinct Tasmanian Tiger.
“What this means is that anybody, farmers, government departments, whatever, can go to their local waterway… take a sample and send it back [to EnviroDNA],” he said.
Despite the high-tech approach, Mr Moss is still relying on sightings to help him narrow the area of his search.
And given the spate of alleged sightings around the Limestone Coast and South West Victoria over the decades, Mr Moss has once again taken an interest in the region.
If you believe you have seen a big cat or Tasmanian Tiger within the Limestone Coast (or surrounding catchments), please contact Michael Moss on 0434 904 944.
