British Big Cat

a reply to: Kester

It is easy to write off these stories as nonsense - the policeman wasn't local to the area, he was from a city in England. We do have wildcats in Scotland, although they're a protected species now, they're almost extinct. Maybe he hadn't heard of them.

Welcome to the Save the Scottish Wildcat website, a resource on all things wildcat and supporter of the Wildcat Haven fieldwork project to save the species in the West Highlands of Scotland.

No feral or farmcat, the wildcat is a true wild species of cat just like a tiger or leopard; it was here long before we were and long before the domestic cat had first been bred by ancient farmers. Infamously the only wild animal to be untameable even when captive reared and one of the most elusive creatures in the world, Scottish wildcats may look a little like your pet tabby but these are incredibly tough super-predators capable of surviving Scotland's harshest winters, battling eagles and drawing the admiration of men who bested entire empires.

Scottish Wildcats



It doesn't take too much imagination to wonder if there isn't a hybrid wildcat out there these days, although it's a scary thought...

a reply to: crazyewok

The safari ranger sounds sensible.

When people get obsessed with trying to get a photograph it can lead to incidents. I was told by a wise man if you have an unpleasant experience you can usually think back to something you did for the wrong motive which led you into that position. If your motive is fame, fortune, or just being proved right you can end up in trouble.

While it's largely true they aren't interested in us there's always the exception. Sometimes an autopsy of a dangerous cat will show a brain cyst or an injury that made hunting difficult. Sometimes no indication of anything like this is found. Occasionally a cat will just behave atypically. We can't plan for these very rare events.

Many people agree with you. Sharing is possible. Hunting and killing them is next to impossible in the circumstances and will increase the danger of attack. I think this is the main reason the 'authorities' really don't want to know. There would be demands for them to 'do something' when nothing can be done except keeping informed.

a reply to: beansidhe

Nice link.

I've heard the native wildcat bred with cats brought here by the Phoenicians and the dilution has been ongoing ever since.

scotcats.online.fr...

Much is possible and little recorded accurately in books.

We have these strange black big cats here in Australia too. Many people seeing them, hearing them & photographed them. They have even sent research teams out to find them, all they found was lots of hair & big footprints but no cats. If I remember correctly the hair & footprint samples were from an animal from the cat species but not any known cat species. The footprints were bigger than any cats from around the world.

a reply to: Oneggod

Hair samples from an unknown species of cat is a fairly common finding. That brings it to a dead end for the bookish types who have nothing to reference to.

I know a lot of researchers are angry with me for writing this... www.abovetopsecret.com...
Believe me I had my reasons.

I've heard of Australian big cats that appeared to be ordinary cats grown to gigantic proportions. I almost said it's a pity this guy didn't have a freezer but the body would just be dismissed one way or another.
www.australianbigcats.com...

a reply to: Kester

From your link:

In 1988, a local gamekeeper shot a cat in the Dufftown area of Morayshire, and this specimen was sent to Di Francis, via Tomas Christie's gamekeeper, Mr Colin Barclay.

In outward appearance the cat did not look like the normal Kellas cat specimens. Whilst of a large size, it lacked the white primary guard hairs and chest patch. The specimen was an adult male, with adult sized testes. The specimen had a pronounced 'roman-nose', and sported large upper canine teeth.

Francis likened the head of the cat to a rabbit, such that the name stuck. Francis was convinced at the time that the specimen represented another previously unknown species of cat, native to Scotland. She was convinced other specimens would turn up.

Now that sounds scary!!

About a decade ago , a friend of mine claims to have seen a 'black panther' while camping in some woods near a limestone quarry.
I myself have never seen anything , I would always like to add my friend was very intoxicated on what could have been hallucigens
Although he claimed it did growl at him and he stumbled before he ran away!

a reply to: beansidhe

Here's more on them... scienceblogs.com...

Plenty of discussion below the article.

a reply to: meowningstar

If he'd claimed that he'd turned into a black leopard I would have almost certainly blamed substance abuse. Almost certainly.

However, woods, limestone quarry, sounds like a likely habitat.

My theory is the beast probably escaped from a travelling circus , im sure things similar to black leopards were used as attractions a few years back..
a reply to: Kester

originally posted by: beansidhe

sounds scary!!

Why?

a reply to: crazyewok

A roman nose on a cat. And big teeth.
That's creepy - like a cat Jean Reno. It would scare me, that's for sure!

a reply to: meowningstar

Many did.

A travelling show with several emaciated big cats of various breeds stopped in the valleys in South Wales. The owner was told inspectors were coming the next day and he'd be prosecuted for animal cruelty. When the inspectors arrived all the cages were empty. The owner said he'd sold the cats to a man he met in a pub.

Awesome

a reply to: Kester

originally posted by: Kester
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes
Reports of injuries here are very rare, fortunately.

Occasionally a skeptic has an encounter themselves, then they become wide-eyed. Some very vocal sceptics may be actually deliberately defending the cats by deflecting attention, this is suspected of one of the skeptics on YouTube.

There are many reports of cougars outside their 'official' boundaries and big black cats such as we have here. In Australia the same sightings are made, cougars and black cats. It's a complex subject with few easy answers.
www.outdoorlife.com...
www.australianbigcats.com...

That's a good thing. Same here, though some livestock has been lost. No people thus far, as far as anyone knows. Of course, a "cougar attack", if the cat wasn't seen, could be some other big cat.

I suspect either protecting the cats, or wanting to not have to "manage" them, is the reason the authorities here pretend there are no large black cats here, and even no cougars in much of the country. The animal rights crowd, of course, would make such claims, and more. Making people aware, and thus safer, doesn't occur to them.

There are so many reports, in so many places, it's surreal that the authorities can't admit to the problem. Cougars in Australia isn't something I heard about before! The black cats, though, so many places, are far too numerous (based on reports) to be released animals. I know that's the explanation for many in the UK, but I wonder if it explains them all. Here, I think jaguars are more likely. Known to be black (though supposedly in limited areas), and very stealthy, so they wouldn't be seen often.

Interesting another in the 80's the Royal marines were called in to exmoor and many including there officers reported seeing it but never got a clean shot.
Also a puma was captured in Scotland too in the 80's. A 18 month old lynx was also captured near London too.

Some hikers friends who were walking the Saxon Shore Way near Reculver spotted what they described as a black panther sleeping on a tree branch, with a front limb hanging down. This would have been about 10 years ago.

Other north Kent sightings (apparently Medway is a hotspot, of sorts): www.kentonline.co.uk...

originally posted by: MarsIsRed


Other north Kent sightings (apparently Medway is a hotspot, of sorts): www.kentonline.co.uk...

Medways were I saw mine a black panther.

Big cats though will hold HUGE territory s. Panthers especially are solitary and will only get together to breed.

With plentiful food and sparse population Medway or even kent itself could be home to maybe only one or two. The spots round here its seen they are miles of dense woodland and also shrub land full of rabbits.

All cat species are smart. All most all are extremely adaptable. If there is food and non inhabited land Im pretty sure most cat species would adapt very very well.

Some more interesting material

Looks like this is getting more and more support from experts, there seems to be some real evidence.

I cant deny what I saw. I know my cats and what I saw was a black leopard or jaguar.

To be honest, I'm sure that there's no true native population (with the exception of the Scottish wildcats) - all are most likely from releases or escapes, probably dating from Roman times, with the population boosted with more recent releases. But they are certainly breeding. If you know the area further east in Kent, there's plenty of room for shy predators to exist virtually undetected, with plenty of food to boot.

If it were up to me, I'd try to reintroduce wolfs and bears to the UK.