Encounter #4: McIvor River – QLD

“…it then climbed a tree with the goat still held by its throat”

Big Cat encounter – McIvor River, near cooktown – qld

Year: 2001 – 2002

Location: North of Cooktown near the McIvor River – near Battle Camp Rd.

Time: Animal sighting both day and nigh time.

Environment: Rainforest

Other Notes: Witnessed by 2 other people. Many sightings of similar animals in Hopevale area.

Witness tells of a story when he and his wife were up Mcivor river area spotlighting on a farmers property. He caught site of a big black cat in his spotlight. It was in knee deep grass, seemingly playing with some small animal in the long grass. Pretty well much ignoring the two people watching the animal in the spotlight. The guy lined the animal up in his sights and took a shot at it. He missed and the animal took of in a flash back into the scrub.

The next day they spoke to the farmer who owned the property and he spoke of the big panther that they had seen the night before. The farmer said he hoped he had not shot the animal for it was known round here for keeping the pigs away. He went on to tell the story of when the panther jumped a 4 foot fence into his goat pen, grabbed his biggest goat by the throat, jumped back over the fence with the goat in his mouth and bolted back into the bush, where it then climbed a tree with the goat still held by its throat. The farmer stood and looked at the cat in the tree with his goat is disbelief.

Animal was described as the size of a big dog. Witness estimates the animal was 3 feet high at the shoulder, and body was 5 feet long not including the tail which was over a metre long itself. Animal had short round ears, was pitch black in colour, a round head, and had a orange eye shine in the spotlight. (Report Credit: Rod Simpson)