The "Canterbury Panther" is often described as a large, black, panther-like creature said to roam the rural South Island. It has become a subject of curiosity and intrigue for many, but when subjected to closer scrutiny, the story seems to unravel. Skeptical analysis of these sightings suggests that the mysterious panther may be nothing more than a combination of mis-identifications, myth-making, and the power of suggestion.
And so another year begins, and as I write this on New Year's Day 2014 there is the opportunity, as with every new year, to reflect on past years and consider the prospects for the future. 2014 will no doubt be an especially busy year for recollections and commemorations, marking as it does the centenary of the start of World War I. Few could have had any idea, on that New Year's Day of a century ago, of what the next few years would bring.
When Sensing Murder psychic Deb Webber announced on TV One's Breakfast show that missing Auckland toddler Aisling Symes was in "a ditch, hole" it raised eyebrows all over the place (NZ Herald, 9 October).