Big Cats in the wild UK
Discussion
Great story this https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12893759/wildlife-tr...
My uncle and cousin spotted a big cat in the woods down in Devon, many years ago, no photo though !
Anybody had a brush with the furry beasts ?
My uncle and cousin spotted a big cat in the woods down in Devon, many years ago, no photo though !
Anybody had a brush with the furry beasts ?
And yet no photographic proof!
With the amount of wildlife cameras available on the market surely a load of them dotted around where the supposed tracks have been found would provide conclusive evidence?
It's a bit like Nessie sightings/photographs, UFO sightings/photographs etc, since every man and his dog has a mobile phone with on average a better camera than a stand alone camera, sightings/photograhs of Nessie and the like have diminished to almost nil
With the amount of wildlife cameras available on the market surely a load of them dotted around where the supposed tracks have been found would provide conclusive evidence?
It's a bit like Nessie sightings/photographs, UFO sightings/photographs etc, since every man and his dog has a mobile phone with on average a better camera than a stand alone camera, sightings/photograhs of Nessie and the like have diminished to almost nil
I saw a large black cat similar in size to a Labrador crossing over a quiet country B road in Central Scotland a few years back,
broad daylight and no more than 150 yards from where I was, I never reported it or said much about it as nobody would
believe it probably. The next again week it was in the local paper, a woman spotted it in her garden, which was about a mile
or so from where I saw it. Around the same time 2 police officers reported a large black cat crossing over the road
in front of them about 4 miles from where I saw it.
broad daylight and no more than 150 yards from where I was, I never reported it or said much about it as nobody would
believe it probably. The next again week it was in the local paper, a woman spotted it in her garden, which was about a mile
or so from where I saw it. Around the same time 2 police officers reported a large black cat crossing over the road
in front of them about 4 miles from where I saw it.
So she has spent years investigating the whereabouts of these cats in the UK and urt has no conclusive proof?
No carcasses or bones ever found after one died in the wild? None ever wiped out and left as roadkill? None ever caught in a game trap or snagged in a fence?
I do not doubt that some were turned loose in 1976 and that some will have escaped since but I find the notion that enough escaped and lived in secret to establish a breeding colony pretty silly, particularly anywhere south of the wilder parts of Scotland.
No carcasses or bones ever found after one died in the wild? None ever wiped out and left as roadkill? None ever caught in a game trap or snagged in a fence?
I do not doubt that some were turned loose in 1976 and that some will have escaped since but I find the notion that enough escaped and lived in secret to establish a breeding colony pretty silly, particularly anywhere south of the wilder parts of Scotland.
poo at Paul's said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
I went swimming in Loch Ness once, and coincidentally, that was the same day that a record number of sightings of the monster were reported. I never saw anything suspicious though.
The wife's dad was a local bobby in Clandon (Surrey), back in the day (70's/80's), he insisted he'd occasionally encountered big cats when out patrolling in the countryside at night.
HTP99 said:
poo at Paul's said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
I went swimming in Loch Ness once, and coincidentally, that was the same day that a record number of sightings of the monster were reported. I never saw anything suspicious though.
The wife's dad was a local bobby in Clandon (Surrey), back in the day (70's/80's), he insisted he'd occasionally encountered big cats when out patrolling in the countryside at night.
Caddyshack said:
My Dad said he saw a big black cat twice in wormley area early 80’s, I believe there were sheep kills and rumours of a private collection being let loose.
I used to live near Wormley - near Witley. I had several trees damaged - they looked like they'd been used as a scratching post by a lion! Never saw anything - I had 5 acres of woodland - but felt sure something lurked around there.NDA said:
Caddyshack said:
My Dad said he saw a big black cat twice in wormley area early 80’s, I believe there were sheep kills and rumours of a private collection being let loose.
I used to live near Wormley - near Witley. I had several trees damaged - they looked like they'd been used as a scratching post by a lion! Never saw anything - I had 5 acres of woodland - but felt sure something lurked around there.I saw a large black cat, about Labrador size just outside Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, would have been around 10 years ago.
It was running across a field at the side of the road on a sunny afternoon, from it's movement and shape it was definitely a cat but way too big to be any domestic breed.
It was running across a field at the side of the road on a sunny afternoon, from it's movement and shape it was definitely a cat but way too big to be any domestic breed.
I saw a big cat in front of a cottage near Dunkeld, Perthshire a few years ago, black as coal. I stood stock still as it wandered away from me, don't think it knew I was there. It was the end of winter and I followed the tracks in the snow that headed down to an old abandoned shed on the banks of the Tay. I could just make out a scratching, growling sound as I tiptoed towards the door, which stopped as I touched the handle. Scared but exhilarated, I pulled the door open to find two lions, three tigers and a puma sat round a table, stinking of whisky, poker chips in hand and a leopard hanging off a trapeze with its fur round it's ankles screaming "It's not what it looks like!"
Jasey_ said:
Pastor Of Muppets said:
I saw a large black cat similar in size to a Labrador crossing over a quiet country B road in Central Scotland a few years back,
broad daylight and no more than 150 yards from where I was, I never reported it or said much about it as nobody would
believe it probably. The next again week it was in the local paper, a woman spotted it in her garden, which was about a mile
or so from where I saw it. Around the same time 2 police officers reported a large black cat crossing over the road
in front of them about 4 miles from where I saw it.
could have been my old cat;broad daylight and no more than 150 yards from where I was, I never reported it or said much about it as nobody would
believe it probably. The next again week it was in the local paper, a woman spotted it in her garden, which was about a mile
or so from where I saw it. Around the same time 2 police officers reported a large black cat crossing over the road
in front of them about 4 miles from where I saw it.
Same size body as Mrs Jasey
As for the Beast of Exmoor and kindred legendary felines, all I can say is that if you really want to find them, track them down to the most likely feeding sites - and in the Exmoor case, I'd be looking for a large cat-like animal tucking into one of the delicious sour-dough sandwiches at Mortimers in Dulverton. I've never seen one yet in there, but will keep up the vigil. Apparently pumas are a bugger for really good sweet potato fries, so I'll keep ordering those in case the Beast is hiding behind the bookcase.and needs tempting out.
Obviously, it's all fun until the "Man mauled to death by big cat in Dulverton restaurant in dispute over sweet potato fries" headlines hit the BBC.
eharding said:
Obviously, it's all fun until the "Man mauled to death by big cat in Dulverton restaurant in dispute over sweet potato fries" headlines hit the BBC.
Or perhaps: "45-Minute Farm Standoff Ends When Cops Realize Tiger Is Stuffed".https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/stuffed-tig...
I'm originally from rural Hampshire and lived with my parents in a heavily wooded area until the mid 90s. My father was the gamekeeper on the local country estate.I was driving home down the lane one summer afternoon about 5pm and saw a large black cat cross the lane from right to left about 100 yards ahead of me. Shape and size fitted the description of a black jaguar.
Most compelling to me was the sighting that a friend of ours had. He visited us occasionally to help my dad cull the estate deer. He was also a gamekeeper and deer stalker for over 30 years. He had set up hides around the estate, one of which was an elevated platform up a tree just inside a copse, looking over a grass field where the deer would often come to graze in the early morning. He was up on the platform with his rifle at about 5am when he heard a sound from the ground below. He looked down over the edge of the platform and saw this large black cat walking directly under the tree he was in. It walked on past him to the edge of the field and then turned right and went out of sight.
Until he saw it I was prepared to believe that my sighting was bogus. However I do not discount our friends sighting - he was highly experienced and a totally genuine and honest man. I'm convinced he saw what he said he saw.
Most compelling to me was the sighting that a friend of ours had. He visited us occasionally to help my dad cull the estate deer. He was also a gamekeeper and deer stalker for over 30 years. He had set up hides around the estate, one of which was an elevated platform up a tree just inside a copse, looking over a grass field where the deer would often come to graze in the early morning. He was up on the platform with his rifle at about 5am when he heard a sound from the ground below. He looked down over the edge of the platform and saw this large black cat walking directly under the tree he was in. It walked on past him to the edge of the field and then turned right and went out of sight.
Until he saw it I was prepared to believe that my sighting was bogus. However I do not discount our friends sighting - he was highly experienced and a totally genuine and honest man. I'm convinced he saw what he said he saw.
Edited by geezerbutler on Wednesday 14th October 18:55
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