GARY T. KUBOTA / GKUBOTA@STARBULLETIN.COM
During a discussion yesterday on a possible large feline in the Maui area, wildlife expert William Van Pelt displayed a metal casing with sharp points used to obtain fur samples from big cats.
Expert confirms
big feline lurks
on Valley IslandKilling methods and scratches
are said to be consistent with cats
WAILUKU >> State wildlife officials are developing an animal capture plan now that an expert has confirmed the markings found in a gulch on Maui are consistent with those of a big cat.
"I'm confident there is a large feline cat," said William Van Pelt, a biologist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Van Pelt said that based on his four-day stay on Maui, he believes the cat could be a young adult mountain lion, leopard or jaguar.
After consulting with Van Pelt, state wildlife officials now believe a large cat, not a dog, killed a wild 30-pound deer found near a gulch in lower Olinda on July 11.
Van Pelt and state wildlife officials discussed their recent findings during a meeting at Seabury Hall in lower Olinda yesterday, attended by more than 45 people.
Olinda resident Susan Wachter, who reported seeing the big cat in June, said, "It just felt good to have it confirmed."
But one resident said he disagreed with the state's findings.
Glenn Coryell, a resident for 30 years, said he felt pit bulls had killed the deer and thinks the fear growing in the community may result in a resident shooting a person or dog accidentally. Coryell said he knows pit bulls have killed deer in his neighborhood.
Van Pelt said that based on photographs he examined, the method of killing and feeding on the deer found on July 11 was catlike.
Van Pelt said people should be wary, but there has been no evidence the cat has killed any pets. He said it has fled when encountering dogs and human beings.
He advised residents that if they see the big cat, they should not turn their back on it and run. He said they should back away from the animal.
Van Pelt, who was scheduled to return to Arizona last night, said he may have a better idea of the cat's species once animal hair taken from a guava tree in a gulch is analyzed in Arizona.
A few strands of dark hair were found Tuesday about five feet up on the tree along with catlike scratch marks on the bark during a search of a gulch in lower Olinda, Van Pelt said.
An Olinda resident who lives about three-fourths of a mile above the Seabury Hall school reported hearing a large animal leap into a pickup truck Tuesday night, Van Pelt said. The resident yelled at the animal, which then fled.
State wildlife biologist Fern Duvall said the zoo at Panaewa on the Big Island has agreed to take the big cat if it is captured.
He also has asked residents who come across a big cat print to preserve it by covering it until state wildlife officials are able to record it.
State officials said they believe the animal was a pet turned loose by its owner.
State wildlife program manager Paul Conry estimated the search has cost more than $8,000 in field work so far. Conry said the state will try to capture the animal, but its priority is on public health and safety.
