Residents of Palo Seco in southwest Trinidad are on the lookout for a jaguar, the third largest cat in the world, after a viral video about a dog being wounded by the deadly animal.
Up to Monday, the police could not confirm if jaguars were spotted in the community, particularly in forested areas at #4 Road. No one reported seeing the animal to the police.
Santa Flora as well as South Western Division Task Force (SWDTF) police were trying to verify the information about this "roaming cat" that had possibly been smuggled from neighbouring Venezuela.
Newsday visited the community on Monday and interviewed several residents, including the owner of the dog that was wounded on Wednesday in its kennel.
The owner, who asked to remain unnamed, said she was not at home when the dog – Lucy – received a wound to its back early Wednesday.
She recalled that the dog was tied, and relatives heard it making noise.
They checked and saw Lucy with an injury. Someone was passing and reminded the family about the "set of animals like ocelots, jaguars and other wild cats" roaming in the bushes.
"Someone jumped up and said, it is one that bit the dog. I asked if they saw when it happened. They said no. No one saw what happened with the dog," she said.
"We keep hearing about a big cat by the river near the bridge. A boy said he was going to a shop and saw a big black cat with white eyes. We told him that it was maybe an ocelot."
[caption id="attachment_1019774" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Police officers search parts of No Four Road, Palo Seco, on Monday, after rumours of a wild cat in the area started circulating on social media over the weekend. - Lincoln Holder[/caption]
The woman said people said they had seen the cats, and were running scared.
"I have not seen any wild cats, and I do not want to see anything because I might freak out. I am afraid of the house cats."
The woman confirmed that the voice in the video was a relative who lived elsewhere.
Afisha La Mott, who lives further into the community, recalled a resident claiming to have seen a jaguar a few days ago.
Game wardens visited after word spread but left empty-handed.
The mother of five said neither she nor other family members had seen any wild cats. She said she would believe it if she saw it.
The possibility of a jaguar being smuggled from the South American continent is possible, La Mott said, considering many Venezuelans frequent the area.
"I am frightened for my children, not for me. I stopped them from playing in the road and at the back of the house. I let them play in the front where I can see them," she said.
Asked what she would do if she came face to face with a jaguar, La Mott said she might defecate herself.
"If it is really out there, I would be glad if they hold it," La Mott added.
One of the men who claimed to have seen the "big cat" is said to be an "addict."
The man spoke briefly to Newsday, saying he was digging yam and spotted the big cat. He also said he knows the type of food these animals eat. He refuse
