Hi all, I have no experience or knowledge of mining at all, but I am researching a theory on whether it is possible that large wild animals such as big wild cats could use these mines as possible lairs or safe habitats even.

Would it be possible to traverse certain parts of the country using any of the mines in Britain or are they all closed off. Would there be other routes of entry into these mines other than the official entrances.

I guess it's also important to know just how many square miles of tunnels there might be, is that something I can find out?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

best, Christopher

Nope!!:tongue:

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Why?

I suppose if a big cat (maybe a lion on holiday from Africa) had access to the internet, he could use the aditnow database to plot a route across the UK, using mines as improvised big-cat hostels. Is that what you mean?

Nope!!:tongue:

You're a harsh man Jimbo and to be fair there is tangential evidence of muscalids and rodents using mines, to an extent, although I'm not sure wild cats have bothered to wander out of the far north yet (that should cut the "square mileage" down substantially), apparently they have little time for Sassenachs, the aroma I believe. Of course it could be where the numerous large black cats hide when the main-stream media come to chase up another iffy tale/tail.

Jim

There are no confirmed reports of Cat (Big- or otherwise) sightings in North Pennine mines. This might be why:

[photo]112130[/photo]

MARK

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It is possible, in theory. we know that animals use/ have used caves for shelter so why not abandoned mines. Now any animal using such a site would be limited to using the adits as entry via a shaft would be a one way event.

Any large animal using a mine in such a way would not use mines to move around the country unseen for the following reasons:
1. They are full of inescapable holes.
2. Entrance points they could use are often separated by the above inescapable holes, which they would be trapped in as they would be unable to see past the said holes (it's dark underground).
3. Broadly speaking, mines are not a series of interconnecting tunnels which can be safely traversed in complete darkness between 2 surface points miles apart.

A large animal may use a mine or, more accurately an adit level as shelter from the elements if they came across one, but they would move around overground where they would have access to food and water.

But don't worry, most escaped big cats hide in abandoned houses 😉

But don't worry, most escaped big cats hide in abandoned houses ;)

"They" don't want you to know that:o , I must ask to borrow rufenig's tinfoil hat.

http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=21077.msg269307#msg269307  The suggestion that large animals such as big cats, werewolves and dogmen might move around the UK unseen via extensive networks of unmapped and unknown caves was met with derision.

Moving from cryptozoology (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptozoology) to mundane reality, excluding insects, I've seen the following in Welsh non-ferrous metal mines:

* Evidence of foxes using the entrance areas of an adit (no more than 15ft in).

* A number of cliff-entry stopes and adits have contained bird nests no more than 50ft in but usually less - the 50ft one had a lot of daylight.

* Hibernating frogs in profusion in the inner end of a c.200ft long adit that was partly water-filled for almost its entire length.

* Numerous bats, both in summer over-night roosts and in winter hibernating roosts.

All these are similar uses to use of natural caves and clefts by animals.

There is a note in the Grampian Speleological Group 'Caves of Skye' publication which mentions a Scottish Wildcat entering one of the systems. The article discusses what to do if you encountered such an animal in a confined space and suggests proffering an open tin of whiskas. ;D

Dave

Frog living in the flooded incline at Diffwys.

Evidence of an otter in ******* ******** adit. And it was a LONG way in.

Various rodent footprints in Cwt y Bugail.

Rodent footprints in Moelwyn Zinc Mine, again a LONG way in.



Oh, and a lamb in Wrysgan:



[photo]70997[/photo]

:lol:


edit: You would be amazed how far he got before he conked out. Right down on the lowest level. Poor fella 😞

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i reckon that lamb predates the collapse

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i reckon that lamb predates the collapse

Hmm dunno mate....when was the collapse? He was very fresh when we first found him...he then turned a kind of fluorescent green for a couple of years and then started to rot...

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Think there was mention of a fox once in the Cwmorthin upper levels. I wonder how far into the workings it was?

Also evidence of foxes and apparently encounters with badgers in the Godstone mines

I should imagine snow leopards would like the Cwmorthin slate tips, they would blend in very nicely 😉

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I've seen an otter on a couple of occasions, I did once see a cat in the 'Knott' in Wensleydale.

But it wasn't 'big'

Hi,
On a number of occasions I have seen badgers in chalk mines, but they only use tiny entrances from slumped-in levels. That is,
I got in through more open accesses and worked through long routes to get to where they were. They tend to fill up there holes to body-size by bringing in earth from outside, and construct piles of soil with nests in them.
They are very fearful, and tend to run away and hide, but I did meet one head on in the squeeze entrance to Clifford's Cave, Chudleigh, Devon, and it growled, beared its teeth and was pretty aggressive!
As for other animals, just plenty of toads feeding off flies feeding off sheep and dogs having fallen down shafts!
As one person commented, big cats should leave foot prints which would tend to be well-preserved undergound!
Regards,
D.Send.

Frog in Rhiwbach (Granted he was swimming toward the lake from the adit).
Mr Jingles, the mouse lived a good life in the Abseil chamber in Rhiwbach for a good 6 months.

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Various rodent footprints in Cwt y Bugail.

Water Vole's apparently.
I showed a picture of rodent footprints to a zoo-ologist type
they can happily navigate by scent marking and absolute darkness doesn't bother them at all.

I have also seen trout underground, up above Garrigill (somewhere up toward Tynehead I think) they were quite pale in colour and evidently survived quite happily, normal size
No idea what they ate

On the subject of big cats, I saw one in the Nenthead area around 18-20 years ago early in the morning. It was huge, a good eight feet including tail. the most striking bit was that it eyes were 8-10 inches apart.
When we met it sat in the grass for ten minutes or so and stared at me. after that I decided it was prudent to leave it too its own devices.
A similar looking cat was seen down near Slaggyford a week or so later.

Frog in Rhiwbach (Granted he was swimming toward the lake from the adit).
Mr Jingles, the mouse lived a good life in the Abseil chamber in Rhiwbach for a good 6 months.

His name was Mr Pringles, on account of his favourite snack.

I reckon he was there a year or so before someone took him out. He seemed to like it, and came to visit most of the groups I took through at the time. Quite tame, would take a bit of bread from my hand.

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His name was Mr Pringles, on account of his favourite snack.

I reckon he was there a year or so before someone took him out. He seemed to like it, and came to visit most of the groups I took through at the time. Quite tame, would take a bit of bread from my hand.

Mr Pringles/Mr Jingles.

I knew he went by both names, on account he was like the mouse from that movie.

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