Forest's ripper legend (via Paul Cropper)

Forest's ripper legend
28 April 2010
Free Press Leader
Copyright 2010 News Ltd. All Rights Reserved

IS THERE a black panther living in the Sherbrooke Forest?

Belgrave teenager Jorgia Young wants to find out.

The first-year journalism student is putting together a video assignment that explores the folklore, which has been circulating in the hills for years. Jorgia said many locals believed the British brought the panthers to Australia about 100 years ago, and they had somehow got lost in the forest. ``I heard that people would go into the forest and camp out, to try and capture the panther on film,'' she said.

She is now looking for locals to interview who might have seen the beast. ``It is one of those funny tales,'' Jorgia said. ``It would make a good horror movie.'' The 18-year-old, who is studying at Swinburne University, said she was keeping an open mind on whether the story could be factual.

``I would love it to be true,'' she said.

Macclesfield Wildlife shelter operator Rodney Hudson-Davies said he was sceptical about the idea. `` I just think someone would have seen it by now,'' he said. ``It would have to eat substantial wildlife to survive, the wildlife would be ripped apart by it, and it would probably be taking cats and dogs, too.'' Mr Hudson-Davies said feral cats and dogs were a more realistic threat to the hills native animals.

The Department of Sustainability and Environment's project leader in wildlife management, Ian Temby, said the DSE kept ``an open but sceptical mind'' about reported sightings of big cats. Mr Temby said in the 50 years that reports had been made about big cats in rural Victoria there had never been any physical evidence to support the sightings.

Have you seen a black panther in the hills?
Tell us at http://www.freepressleader.com.au/