Leopards and other big cats ARE on the loose in Britain - just don't tell a soul

Leopards and other big cats ARE on the loose in Britain - just don't tell a soul

www.dailymail.co.uk

I discovered that private menageries filled with leopards, pumas, bears and cheetahs had once been considered the ultimate accessory.

In fact, my grandparents, living near Farnham, in Surrey, in the Thirties, had bought a bear from Harrods, but found it didn’t play nicely with their toddler, my mother. The receipt, my mother remembered, read: ‘Harrods. One bear — returned.’

But many exotic pets, it seems, were not returned to the shop, but to the wild, or rather the local countryside.
Sightings of large cats in Britain have increased since the 18th century. But from 1976, when

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Great article in today's Daily Mail. There's no doubt that the UK has hundreds, probably a few thousand big cats living secretly in the wild.
My niece and her friend spotted two large black cats while crossing through the school playing fields one night. A quick telephone call to a "big cat man" revealed they were probably the same mother and cub who had been spotted over the previous few months all around the Fife, Scotland area.
I think it's fantastic.

www.dailymail.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by wigit


Having had one walk in front of me and my partner while out for our last dog walk of the day (10pm) I have to admit to being a believer and seeing this beauty stop and look at us for a second in the "is it a threat/can I eat it" kind of way was thrilling to say the least.

reply to post by thoughtsfull


We saw one in Staffordshire, it was a black cat and it stunned us. Only saw it when we went through some wild rough ground and disturbed the cat.

reply to post by ufoorbhunter


They are wonderful , we saw ours over the SouthDowns, Sussex so plenty of woods, and fence-less space to roam...

I have personally seen large, tan-coloured, "big cats" on two (possibly three) occasions, not far from my home in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Probably puma/cougar/mountain lion types, possibly lynx, going by the colour and size.

(There was a local rumour around that time, that a guy had killed one, and had kept the head in his freezer, but I was unable to confirm this.)

I haven't seen anything lately, but the authorities have been building a huge windfarm right in the middle of the area for a while now.

I remember not too long ago, a delivery driver of vetrinary medical supplies was travelling across the north york moors (not too far from me) and had came across a tractor at the side of the road. Its bucket was raised quite high and then in front of that was a police car also parked up. When the driver got out of his vehicle and asked if any assistance was needed he got a glimpse of what appeared to be a fully grown cougar type' cat laid in the bucket dead it had actually been hit by the police car and he had called a local farmer to 'discreetly' remove it from the road so as not to cause a panic if it was found. The driver was told that no assistance was needed and it may be wise not to talk of this as a panic would almost definately ensue.

Its one of them stories that i honestly can't verify, however im inclined to believe it as a few year before this incident i was a passenger in a car travelling on this same road and me and the driver witnessed something 'big and tan' chasing a hare at breakneck speed.
At the time i wasnt too educated on these big cat stories but now, im almost certain its what we saw.

Cool thread. Thaks for posting this story. I have seen the specials on tv about this but they are always relegated to bigfoot type shows. I have never heard the story in the OP about Harrods selling these types of things. That is very interesting.

cant say I've seen one but its great to think their out their just getting on with it. i hope this doesn't become massive news and they end up doing something stupid like killing them

What do these cats hunt? Do they feast on the local herds of cows, sheep, etc? or are they hunting game and smaller animals?

Will they procreate, or are there to few ?

I live in Fife and have always been on the lookout for the big cats. No such luck thus far.

Will keep looking though!

reply to post by wigit


Sounds great but will there be much Countryside left for them to roam about in in a few years time? Not if we keep building there won't!!!

I'd like to see this wildlife but i'm in a crowded concrete city so unable to...

These stories consistently crop up which does get me thinking about whether there could be something to them. I personally have never had an experience of a wild cat sighting and I'd quite like it to stay that way.

I must say though....where are the photos? In a day and age where everyone has a camera on their phone and Google Street View is ever intrusive, where are the photos of these beasts?

1000 sightings a year but no conclusive photographic evidence? Doesn't seem right to me.

Also, is there any other evidence, e.g. animal carcasses, big cat tracks/trails etc?

BBC News captures wildcat on camera:
news.bbc.co.uk...

One thing I have noticed, when a cat is seen south of the border here in England it's generally seen as some escaped/mystery beast, whereas go a few miles north in to Scotland and the mystery disappears as the Scottish are fully aware of wildcats; even if they aren't that common.



[edit on 29-5-2010 by and14263]

Originally posted by LiveForever8
These stories consistently crop up which does get me thinking about whether there could be something to them. I personally have never had an experience of a wild cat sighting and I'd quite like it to stay that way.

I must say though....where are the photos? In a day and age where everyone has a camera on their phone and Google Street View is ever intrusive, where are the photos of these beasts?

1000 sightings a year but no conclusive photographic evidence? Doesn't seem right to me.

Also, is there any other evidence, e.g. animal carcasses, big cat tracks/trails etc?

Big cat sightings are usually short and as shy nocturnal creatures there isn't much photographic evidence. Leopards are one of the most successful predators on the planet and can adapt to most environments and take a wide range of prey.

I have lived rural for the last 10 years or so and most of the farmers I know have had big cats kill their livestock. The way big cats kill and the parts of the animal eaten give the game away - puncture wounds at the back of the neck mainly but sometimes at the front. Their powerful jaws allow them to eat areas of large muscle mass quickly and easily, whereas indiginous predators go for easy meat such as the face and Tongue.

The last sheep taken I know of was around 100 yards from our house and around this time our cat became anxious and wouldn't go out.

My wife has seen a panther in the early morning but by the time I got to the window it had gone.

Originally posted by Afterall
Cool thread. Thaks for posting this story. I have seen the specials on tv about this but they are always relegated to bigfoot type shows. I have never heard the story in the OP about Harrods selling these types of things. That is very interesting.

At one time Harrods were well know to be able to supply you with anything.

reply to post by and14263


That's something I was wondering about. Are there any native species that could be mistaken for something else? Apparently, yes.

Living in the southern US, I hear similar stories from people quite often. They usually think they've seen a mountain lion, and while there are a few in the area, 99% of them have actually seen the much more common bobcat.

I think its quite scary i would so not want to see a big wild cat whilst out walking, it would probably smell my fear and eat me alive, im abit of a wuss, afraid of strange dogs also.

Im in northern Ireland tho so suppose im okay, havent heard any reports here

Originally posted by Dynamitrios
What do these cats hunt? Do they feast on the local herds of cows, sheep, etc? or are they hunting game and smaller animals?

There are cases where sheep have been attacked or killed, even recently in scotland horses were found with scratches on their hide that were familiar to a 'big cat'. There was even a case were gordon ramsay lost a sheep (which was on the beckhams' land) to a suspected big cat.

reply to post by LightFantastic

The way big cats kill and the parts of the animal eaten give the game away - puncture wounds at the back of the neck mainly but sometimes at the front. Their powerful jaws allow them to eat areas of large muscle mass quickly and easily,

Whilst this is correct, When it is coupled to a sheep's carcass being found in the middle of a field then i have my doubts.

If we are talking large cats such as Leopard and Puma, Then Leopards generally hoist their prey into a tree to eat at their leisure. And Puma's will drag their prey into the undergrowth and cover it with debris to hide it from other predators.

Never seen one myself, But evidence seems to be compelling.