Big Cats and Dead Sheep: An Overview of the Folkloric Phenomena of Big Cats in the Australian Bush
Keywords:
Folkloristics, Beast Lore, Eco-Lore,Abstract
Since the late 19th century there has been a persistent strand in Australian folklore, one claiming that the bush is inhabited by mysterious catlike predators. A wide array of origin myths and behavioural claims around the death of stock and claimed sightings is pervasive amongst the inhabitants of rural Australia, these flaring into panics and reaching the attention of the mainstream media every few years. Despite this, there seems to be little in this instance of the usual manifestations of folklore in song, literature and art as compared to say that for Bunyips or Yowies.
This preliminary study looks at the overall pattern of Big Cat folklore in Australia as part of an ongoing project evaluating associated mythology in relation to Anglo-Australian attitudes to the bush. This paper considers the culture and folklore surrounding big cats in the Australian bush and the means by which people formulate the stories.
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