Mystery cat on Maui suspected in dog attack
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
OLINDA, Maui — A dog that suffered scratches and puncture wounds early Sunday morning may have been attacked by the elusive big cat of Olinda, officials said yesterday.
The incident is the latest in an ongoing series of reports and sightings of the mysterious creature believed to be prowling around this rural Upcountry community since at least December.
Over the past two weeks, state wildlife officials have collected new samples of cat fur, photographed fresh tracks and gathered other evidence. They almost got photos — but a screen door obliterated three snapshots taken by a woman from inside her house.
After examining evidence and conducting interviews in Olinda last month, Arizona big-cat expert Bill Van Pelt concluded that the mystery animal is probably a leopard, jaguar or mountain lion.
Sunday's incident occurred at about 1:30 a.m., when an 80-pound black Labrador shrieked, waking up its owner, Willie Wachter, who checked on the dog but didn't notice the injuries until morning. Wachter took the dog to a veterinarian, who treated the animal for slash wounds and punctures near its eye, on the leg, side and belly.
Wildlife official Fern Duvall took photos of the dog's wounds yesterday and indicated they could have been caused by the big cat, according to Deborah Ward of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The latest sighting was Sept. 3, when a driver called police after seeing a large catlike animal roaming near an Olinda road sometime after 5 p.m. Officials later looked for tracks but found none.
Another report came in the next day from residents who had left a pot of rice outside to lure the cat to their home. They said they heard the animal at 1:15 a.m. and found half the rice eaten. Ward said they have since installed their own infrared camera.
On Aug. 28, a woman reported that she had snapped photos of a large creature prowling near her house shortly before 6 p.m. But the flash pictures, taken through a screen door, didn't come out.
Even though the photos were obliterated, officials described the eyewitness account as excellent. The woman and her husband said they saw a dark brown, big cat larger than a German shepherd stalking 100 feet away for three or four minutes.
The animal was in the general area of an earlier deer kill, officials noted.
Two days earlier, neighbors reported a loud thump on their garage roof or lanai at 9:37 p.m. Two people who had stepped out onto the unlit lanai to observe Mars witnessed a large animal leaping off the building and barreling over a fence with a dog in pursuit.
Tracks and cat fur were found at the site, and officials also discovered what looked like a scent marking by the animal — a spray of urine 36 inches off the ground at the lanai.
Officials said the big cat could have been attracted to freshly rotting marlin tails nailed to the garage, pet food on the lanai and in the garage and the remains of a nearby deer carcass.
On Aug. 22, two children reported hearing something and watched as a big black cat with a long tail crept into a steep gulch. Wildlife officials later found fresh tracks there.
Meanwhile, officials continue to wait for DNA testing results from Arizona on hair believed to be the big cat's. A plan for live capture is also being reviewed.
