Canterbury Panther: Does the Mysterious Big Cat Move Through Christchurch?

A mysterious large black cat that was reportedly spotted at the Halswell quarry last month may now be lurking in Heathcote Valley.

Those who wrote letters to the Star say they have seen a large cat at various locations in Canterbury, including the Halswell quarry.

A Christchurch man even called the talkback radio, claiming that he had also seen the cat in the quarry.

Mike Mora, a member of the Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board, heard the call and discussed the sighting at a board meeting.

Now Tom Lewis, his uncle Andrew Lewis, and Tom’s son, Theo, are the last to claim they saw the creature.

Tom said he was seen among the trees and tall grass at the back of his home on Horotane Valley Rd.

Tom said, “My son Theo saw it for the first time [on October 15]. [He said] ‘Daddy, look at that big black cat in the back meadow.’

“I thought, ‘Oh yeah.’ Five minutes later [Theo said] ‘Dad, that cat is huge.’

“Then I looked from 85 meters away and it was huge.

“[I] I saw him sitting down for the first time. It looked maybe 800mm tall. Then he moved behind the tree where he sat, “Tom said.

He took photos of the animal through binoculars.

He told Andrew and the other members of his family at home to take a look.

“All of us [were] impressed with the size, “he said.

At dusk, Tom took his deer sniffer Moose to look for the big cat.

They were successful and he says they got within 10 meters of the cat before it escaped.

“It was bigger than Moose, which is a Hungarian vizsla,” Tom said.

There has been a resurgence in reported sightings of big black cats in recent months.

Over the years, the mysterious animal has also been seen in Otago, Southland, and Marlborough.

– Star News