An Interesting Book About British Big Cats

I'm putting this in Cryptozoology because some of the descriptions are not identifiable as standard species. Many are quite normal. There are pumas and lynx. The pumas are presumably escapees and releases dating back to whenever people began bringing them here. The lynx are a mix of escapees, releases and the never quite exterminated native population. Other descriptions are more unusual.

I disagree with the author on some points. For example on page 44.

According to the husband of one of the witnesses, since March 2008 there have been several sightings of a similar animal by staff at Durham Tees Valley Airport. On one occasion one of the security staff had claimed that the cat had brushed past his leg in the dark. I find this a bit hard to believe unless he just has the one leg now.

There have been many encounters close enough to touch, or actually touching, without any obvious aggression. It's a bit sensationalist to portray British big cats as always being savage beasts, though aggression does occur. According to some sources a number of fatal attacks on humans have been covered-up.

I also find it a bit immature to fall back on the 'want to believe' line.

Perhaps the reason for the regularity or reports is because we WANT to BELIEVE?

This one is quite amusing to read about. Perhaps less funny if you were there.
Page 18

. . . a huge black cat walked quickly across the road in front of him. Certain that it was a panther he stopped the car hoping to see it going across the field. As he couldn't see it he got out and ran across the road for a better look. After watching for about a minute, he was just turning back to the car when he glanced down and saw that the big cat was laid in the ditch right next to where he was stood. Dirk gradually backed off and slowly got back into his car. As he had only been a matter of feet from the cat, he was sure it was a panther and not anything else. When he told his story at the time he was ribbed by colleagues, particularly because as a press photographer he had been too shocked to take a photo.

A professional photographer or videographer too shocked to use their camera is something I've heard first hand.

To add a story that isn't here. A few weeks ago I was watching a nurse prepare some medical equipment. She said, "I used to work as a vet's assistant so I'm used to this stuff". I asked, "Did you hear any stories about big cats living wild here?" She paused, then said, "I didn't hear any stories, but I did see one. It looked at me. I looked at it. Then I decided to leave". The place where she saw it is very close to where the hunter I mentioned in one of my recent cat threads had a close encounter.

I'd better not forget to link the book.

www.nhsn.ncl.ac.uk...

I haven't finished it yet but if this subject interests you it's worth a read.

Very good OP. Thanks for this. With all the sightings and stories. There must be some truth.

originally posted by: Kester
A professional photographer or videographer too shocked to use their camera is something I've heard first hand.

I'm one of those....

I've had two separate events that happened where I had the cameras on me or within hand-reach (both still and video) and was so enthralled by what I was seeing and hearing that I never even thought about aiming them. It wasn't till after the event had transpired that I even thought "Oh Crap... I should've taken the shot". Even still, that wasn't for several moments afterwards as I was still trying to figure out if what i had experienced was even real.

But to this day those visual/images and the sounds will haunt me.


Johnny