Big Cat

I found this article here
news.independent.co.uk...
But you have to pay to see the rest of the article, so I didn't bother. Has anyone else heard of this? Or have a copy of the rest of the article?


" March 26 2005

An 'attack' in Sydenham is just the latest sighting of an alien Big Cat on these shores. Paul Sieveking goes on the trail of the strangest creatures to have been spotted across Britain

THE BENBECULA MERMAID

In 1830, people were harvesting seaweed at Sgeir na Duchadh on the Outer Hebridean island of Benbecula, when a woman saw a small human-like creature splashing in the sea a few feet away. Boys threw stones and one struck the creature, apparently scoring a fatal blow, because a few days later its body was washed ashore two miles away.

"The upper portion of the creature was about the size of a well-fed child of three or four years of age, with an abnormally developed breast," wrote Alexander Carmichael in his encyclopædia, Carmina Gadelica. "The hair was long, dark, and glossy, while the skin was white, soft, and tender. The lower part of the body was like a salmon, but without scales."

The local sheriff ordered a coffin and shroud, and the body was buried above the shore where it was found"

Originally posted by Lenina
I found this article here
news.independent.co.uk...
But you have to pay to see the rest of the article, so I didn't bother. Has anyone else heard of this? Or have a copy of the rest of the article?

nope, 1st i've heard of any of those ?Local Legends+folklore? items

i'm with you on the not paying
so did you try the Fortean Times ?? for lengthly reports??
the author is same guy you named..Paul Sieveking

atually stuff concerning the British Isles
dosen't occupy a big part of my storage or reference or sources
i guess thats because its pretty much available or linked,
just like your Independent.co.uk link above...
theres the great coverage by BBC also

peace

Children stay off streets over 'Beast of Sydenham'

Children living near the scene of an attack by a giant black cat have been banned from leaving school premises during the day for their own safety.

Armed police are hunting the "Beast of Sydenham" after it attacked a man. Fears for pupils have led schools in the south London suburb to stop them leaving the grounds during break times. Children have also been told to stay off the streets and use buses.

A big black cat... Could it be a black Panther? What else could it be?

Related News Sources:
Scotsman: Warnings after 'big cat' sighting in London suburb
Daily Mirror: THE BEAST OF SYDENHAM
Guardian: Fear stalks the streets of Sydenham after resident is attacked by a black cat the size of a labrador
News.com.au: Giant 'puma' terrorises London

I do not know much about British cryptids, but I seem to recall that historical evidence of big cats in the isles is not especially stimulating. I would be interested to hear, if any of you know, how often big cats have been reported there in the past, and what the nature of those reports are.

As of right now, I am most inclined to believe that the cat is an escaped or released exotic.