Photographer Encounters British Big Cat, No Photograph

www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk...

. . . my mind raced to work out logically what it was. It was big and completely black. It had a long body and a deep chest, and a head that wasn’t raised high on a neck.” He added: “I was fairly sure what I saw was a black panther . . .

“If only I had bought a dash cam as I had been thinking of I would have had proof.”

My ex-brother-in-law is a photographer. A black leopard crossed the road in front of him near his family home in Devon. I asked him, mainly as a joke, "As a professional photographer. What were the chances of getting a decent photograph?" His answer was "Zero."

That's why no decent photographs. Even for a professional photographer the chances are usually zero.

Where I live we have panthers, and Skunk Ape's, to keep an eye out for.

a reply to: Kester

My dad picked me up at Glasgow Airport many years ago and we were driving back to Aberdeen when we experienced a big black cat run across the road in front of us & it was quick. Looked like a panther or other big cat.
I'm pretty sure there is quite a few big cats loose in the U.K.

originally posted by: Kester
That's why no decent photographs. Even for a professional photographer the chances are usually zero.

He seems to think the dash cam would have worked if he had one, so I don't view that as his estimation of the chances of getting photographs being zero.

a reply to: Arbitrageur

There are many blurred and distant photographs and video. Quality is the issue. Here's the latest newsworthy video. www.telegraph.co.uk...

I've seen it before but never had my camera so when it appeared again I just started filming.

a reply to: Kester
Thanks. Quality is pretty good on that one, but yes I can see how it could be much lower on others.

In Texas, I've seen the cat twice ( 65 yrs old )...it has the head of a canine ,....is the initial hesitation.....the head of a pitbull

now, in Irving Texas at Las Colinas...on Oconner road ....I was 14 with a 20 ga. pump 870.......it walked 30 feet in front of me....went by as I was saying to myself " someone's dog " is the only reason we don't have a stuffed one on record now...
The gun was in both hands at my beltbuckle, and at that age I would have emptied 5 at his head... I had hot loaded #4 and #2 shot for the jackrabbits on Ben H Carpenters land ,