Security camera captures big cat after lambs taken from Colebrook property
WATCH: A Tassie mum has caught a mysterious creature on camera after three of her lambs went missing from their paddock. See the pictures and video.
Tasmania
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A Tassie mum has captured a mysterious creature on camera after three of her lambs went missing from their paddock.
Connie Ransley originally believed the lambs were stolen by someone, so installed a security camera on Tuesday to see if she caught the perpetrator returning to the scene of the crime.
But when checking the camera footage later that night, the Colebrook woman couldn’t believe what she was seeing: A hunter she believes is a “huge feral cat”.
“We lost three lambs over two nights,” Ms Ransley said.
Despite being a “non believer”, Ms Ransley’s footage attracted a few comments that said the animal looked like a thylacine, the elusive Tasmanian tiger believed to have gone extinct in the 1930s.
Anthony Bone said it looked like Ms Ransley had captured “Tasmanian tiger footage”.
“I am serious that footage is exciting and gives me goosebumps … it’s not a cat, I’m only a little bit insane right now your footage made my day thank you,” he said.
But Ms Ransley is adamant it was a feral cat, saying its size shocked her, being larger than her “extra large horse feed bin” that measures about 80cm wide and 60cm high.
“It’s the biggest (cat) I’ve seen … I had to rewatch the camera footage several times to understand how big he was,” she said.
Since seeing the predator and losing three of her lambs, Ms Ransley has taken measures to protect her other animals.
“I’ve brought the (other) young lambs close to my house and the newborn bottle-raised ones are outside my front door on the deck,” she said.
Ms Ransley said she also saw the big animal “dragging a roo carcass off the road” on another occasion.
What do you think the animal is? Let us know in the comments below.
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