Ford announced it will help hunt for big cats that are believed to wander the country's bushland. This partnership is in time with the launch of the Ford Puma SUV.  

The car manufacturer's Australian arm will provide cameras and other monitoring equipment to the research group Big Cats Victoria to help in tracking the puma in Australia. This would be a great help for researchers Simon Townsend and John Turner, who have already pursued thousands of reports of cat sightings nationwide for decades.

While Pumas are usually found in the American wild, researchers think they could have been moving around through Otway regions in the Victorian state.  

In a Discovery Channel documentary, Townsend and Turner claimed that there were up to seven big cat sightings in the Otway area every year, and their partnership with Ford will let them efficiently track the animals' movements.

"The addition of new cameras and equipment will greatly aid our search for the puma and other big cats,' Townsend told the Geelong Advertiser, adding that they have been tracking puma and other big cats since 1973.

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Photographer Amber Noseda was heading home after taking pictures of birds in the Otway Ranges back in June when she saw a huge jet-black feline. "It had a square jawline and a very thick tail, thicker than your normal feral cat," Noseda told Daily Mail Australia, adding that she had never seen something like it before.   

She quickly got out of her car and snapped a photo of the cat. She then consulted experts from Strange Creatures Victoria and Big Cats Victoria, who said the cat's tail was much thicker than a normal cat. 

There have been rumors and numerous sightings of a black panther that roams in the region since the 1960s, which earned the name of "Otway Panther." However, the local photographer said she believed it was just a feral cat and not a panther. "I looked back at the photos and I just think it's a very large feral cat," she said. 

According to wildlife researcher Australian National University Professor Sarah Legge, domestic and feral cats kill more than one million birds, two million reptiles, and three million mammals in Australia every year.  

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Ford PUMA: a Review

Does Ford Puma sound familiar? Well, that is because, in the late 90s, it was originally a small coupé. While the car is a pretty good one, it did not sell much. However, the American car manufacturer is bringing back Ford Puma after more than 20 years. But, this time, it is now a compact SUV.

The new Ford Puma boasts a sportier look than most of its rivals as well as for ore other fun features. Its closest rivals in terms of size and price are Skoda Kamiq, Volkswagen T-Roc, and Nissan Juke, although Puma has a mild-hybrid engine. This technology can is usually found in more expensive vehicles. This would allow the vehicle to combine a highly-economical fuel cost with cool acceleration.

Ford will soon launch a sportier version called the Puma ST, which carries the same engine as the Fiesta ST hatch. Price starts at $21,400 for the Ford Puma and $23,000 for Puma ST.

But how does the regular Ford Puma stack up against its key rivals in other important areas, such as practicality, safety, comfort, and value for money? We'll tell you everything you need to know over the next few pages. 

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Written by CJ Robles

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