Big cat mystery: new ‘Canterbury panther’ sighting

By Matt Slaughter, Star News

There has been another alleged sighting of a mysterious great black cat, this time outside Christchurch.

Over the years, big cat sightings have been reported in Canterbury, Otago, Southland and Marlborough, and two weeks ago in North Canterbury.

Now a sighting has emerged at Halswell Quarry in Christchurch.

The trail of the possible sighting leads back to Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board President Mike Mora.

He overheard a caller on radio talkback say they saw a cat-like animal in the quarry.
Mora later raised it at a recent community board meeting.

“He [the radio caller] He said he was at the top of the ridge in the quarry and he looked down and he saw this big, black, cat-like animal and he came down and he saw it go away very, very fast, “Mora said.

He said that the grass it was seen in was about 1 meter tall, which means that a normal-sized cat could not have been seen in it.

Mora said he brought up the sighting in the meeting’s elected members exchange section because he believes it is something the public should be on the lookout for.

“If there is something there, it would be interesting to get feedback from other people. If there is one in the area, no doubt other people would have seen it.”

A spokesman for the Christchurch City Council said quarry staff had received no reports of big cat sightings, but that they “are always on the lookout.”

– Star News