# Big cats wild in the UK?



## retri

Just wondering what people think about this one, I know alot of people say that when DWA came into effect some people released thier big cats, but what were the rules for people keeping big cats when DWA came in, would they have to be euthinased or given to a zoo ect?

Also how likely would it be for a big cat to survive in the uk, would they have enough prey available, I know it depends on species, but I would imagine in the correct environment there would be plenty of deer sheep ect available, but would a captive animal have the ability to hunt effetively?

Also how long do they live for? I know there is a possibiltiy that they were released and are out there but how long would the origonal animals survive for as I seriously doubt there would be any breeding going on, as it is very unlikely that there would be enough of the same species to come into contact.

Also has anyone seen any evidence that would hold up, all I have ever seen is grainy videos that were taken at a huge distance and usualy look like domestic cats?


----------



## nighthunte29

there are black panthers in south west uk, there was one in the village i live in and it was eating farmers sheep, i thought i saw it at one point but im not sure


----------



## carpy

yes quite simply. i think they are about, there are known to be a few locally


----------



## retri

See I have heard that they think there is a cougar living in the devon area, but have never found anything conclusive.

When you say it was eating sheep did you ever see the carcuses and did anyone examine them to determine that it was done by a panther?


----------



## nighthunte29

very good point retri, there were sheep disapearing, only a few, 1 or so a fortnight, but from different fields, so maybe 1 a day, and they travel alot, and there was the odd hoof or a clump of wool but it was a rare sight, there was no proof so nobody was certain there was a panther lurking about, just a few reported sightings which came out of nowhere...so putting 2 and 2 together, sheep disapearing and sightings


----------



## midori

I really don't know, but I would imagine that if there were and they had been breeding, there would have been more sightings by now. Or at least a 'proper' sighting. 

Surely some people spend an awful lot of time actually looking for them? (enthusiasts?)


----------



## longhaircavies

nighthunte29 said:


> there are black panthers in south west uk, there was one in the village i live in and it was eating farmers sheep, i thought i saw it at one point but im not sure


I also live in yeovil and i really believe that ive seen 1 in a field not far from Hazelbury Plucknett.


----------



## Pleco07

Me and my grandad saw a puma years ago on a camping trip. I must have been about 9 or 10 (im 23 now), it was in Thetford Forest. We saw it sitting on the roadside while on a bike ride, then that night heard it.
Not many people beleive me but it was definately there and definately a puma.


----------



## nighthunte29

longhaircavies said:


> I also live in yeovil and i really believe that ive seen 1 in a field not far from Hazelbury Plucknett.


 yey evidence lol, did you here rumours about them saying they are lurking around fields and eating sheep?


----------



## retri

midori said:


> I really don't know, but I would imagine that if there were and they had been breeding, there would have been more sightings by now. Or at least a 'proper' sighting.
> 
> Surely some people spend an awful lot of time actually looking for them? (enthusiasts?)


Yeh, just found this, definately enthusiastic, but doesnt look like its been updated since 2001

www.Big-cats.co.uk


----------



## ChrisNE

Didn't they get pics of a couple of black panthers a year or so back? I defo think they're about and panthers/cougars/lynx etc could certainly survive in our climate which is only getting more hospitable for them. There was a thing on MSN about species moving over to the the UK on MSN a few months ago that had Black Widows, Gaboon Vipers, wolves and large cats on. Scary thought.


----------



## retri

I know they are thinking about reintriducing wolves to scotland, and have already done so with beavers, would love to see a bit more variety of species in the UK, or at least species that were here origonally


----------



## slippery42

The problem with so called wild cats in Britain is that almost every video clip thats been shown looks like a load of bollocks.

I remember one which was featured on TV a few years ago which was obviously a black moggie!

In these days of HD video and eveyone with a decent digial there should be more compelling evidence.

However I've recently had an encounter with and Alien, he was from the planter Fargujii and was one of them "greys" with the big black eyes.

My Wife took a photo of me shaking its hand, well I hope it was a hand, mind you it could have been its...Arghh!!

Anyway she took load of photos and then I find out she didnt put in a memory card!

What can you say!!!!


----------



## nighthunte29

slippery42 said:


> The problem with so called wild cats in Britain is that almost every video clip thats been shown looks like a load of bollocks.
> 
> I remember one which was featured on TV a few years ago which was obviously a black moggie!
> 
> In these days of HD video and eveyone with a decent digial there should be more compelling evidence.
> 
> However I've recently had an encounter with and Alien, he was from the planter Fargujii and was one of them "greys" with the big black eyes.
> 
> My Wife took a photo of me shaking its hand, well I hope it was a hand, mind you it could have been its...Arghh!!
> 
> Anyway she took load of photos and then I find out she didnt put in a memory card!
> 
> What can you say!!!!


 you were supposed to take your tablets an hour ago ¬.¬
if somebody hears something then suddenly everybody else see's what that person saw, then everybody belives them


----------



## Graz

3 leos escaped from a traveling circus in grimsby a few years back and ran through a high street, they say they was caught but it was never proved:lol2:


----------



## longhaircavies

nighthunte29 said:


> yey evidence lol, did you here rumours about them saying they are lurking around fields and eating sheep?


Na mate havent herd that. Infact i think ive seen it twice in the same field.


----------



## slippery42

nighthunte29 said:


> you were supposed to take your tablets an hour ago ¬.¬
> if somebody hears something then suddenly everybody else see's what that person saw, then everybody belives them


But its true any I cant stop here doing idle chit chat I need to go and round up my Unicorns and milk them as the Aliens need the Unicorn milk as fuel for their intergalactic spaceship!

Which by the way looks to human eyes just like a black panther............now there you go more food for thought!

Now where ARE my happy pills!


----------



## paulrimmer69

ChrisNE said:


> Didn't they get pics of a couple of black panthers a year or so back? I defo think they're about and panthers/cougars/lynx etc could certainly survive in our climate which is only getting more hospitable for them. There was a thing on MSN about species moving over to the the UK on MSN a few months ago that had Black Widows, Gaboon Vipers, wolves and large cats on. Scary thought.


would make herping trips alot more interesting!:notworthy:


----------



## gazz

retri said:


> See I have heard that they think there is a cougar living in the devon area, but have never found anything conclusive.
> 
> When you say it was eating sheep did you ever see the carcuses and did anyone examine them to determine that it was done by a panther?


When i was around 7-8 i recall seeing a black animal hugging the woods edge.But i didn't get close enough to ID it.But it was a fair size deffo not a black domestic cat.Likly a black lab but there was no people around from what i could see.I likly was a lab or somthing a i filled in the blanks.

It is possible there here lurking on the edges i am open minded.But one thing bothers me is big Black cats are pathers and panther are melanistic leopards.By instinct leopards drag there prey up trees.And i've never herd of anyone reporting a sheep up a tree.There just mulled on the spot that i find odd on just dosen't fit.


----------



## wohic

seen one plain as day it walked out in front of our , and trotted off down the road in full view for about 30 seconds. I am in NO doubt at all that it was a panther.


----------



## daz666

slippery42 said:


> The problem with so called wild cats in Britain is that almost every video clip thats been shown looks like a load of bollocks.
> 
> I remember one which was featured on TV a few years ago which was obviously a black moggie!
> 
> In these days of HD video and eveyone with a decent digial there should be more compelling evidence.
> 
> However I've recently had an encounter with and Alien, he was from the planter Fargujii and was one of them "greys" with the big black eyes.
> 
> My Wife took a photo of me shaking its hand, well I hope it was a hand, mind you it could have been its...Arghh!!
> 
> Anyway she took load of photos and then I find out she didnt put in a memory card!
> 
> What can you say!!!!


 :lol2:


----------



## rum&coke

Think I remember on the news last year the police had shot one that had been seen around a few times and they say there are a few out there escaped from private collections doing well eating rabbits and things


----------



## joe190

im 100% sure there is big cats here. seen LOTS of footage on the t.v adn on the internet, and if u read the 'we brought a zoo' book, he see's one come across the road, im all the way for thinking (and hoping) big cats are in the uk!


----------



## joe190

oh and ramsays sheep when it lived on beckhasm property, got eaten by a suspect big cat!


----------



## Fixx

Looked through the window, and this was on the other side.


----------



## joe190

Welcome to Beastwatch UK


----------



## StevetheSnake

here in northern ireland there have been loads of sightings in the country side. There was one just down the road from me over the border in county donegal that was seen by quite a few people. If i came across one of them on a leisurely walk i would a change of undercrackers


----------



## joe190

Fixx said:


> Looked through the window, and this was on the other side.


zoo pic?


cant be real?


----------



## Lizard Loft

If you gon on the wild big cat uk website (or somthing along those lines) its says where i am North Wales there have been more sightings then anywhere else in the uk, there was one spotted in the huge amounts of woodland and forest in the hilld behind where i live, also a sighting about 9miles away and another one on the moores near me, all within a 20min drive from my house!!!

for years there have been things in local paper about it, panthers mainly, there has also been animals such as sheep etc found ripper apart and eaten with the inside of their skulls licked clean (big cat trait),

also their is loads of things about house cats breeding with small african wild cats etc and making hybrids which have bred back to house cats and you get wild genes etc, also seen somthing in the paper where and actual african wild cat was shot by a farmer 

so i do think they are in britain, especially the smaller ones, maybe black panthers and lynxs as lynxs where once native to britain so could easily survive here but they would have to be at least 3rd/4th generation or their abouts as the DWA came into place in the 70's didnt it?


----------



## daz666

think someone should set a poll up 4 this i personal think they maybe the odd escapee not vast numbers scattered all over the country.


----------



## Javeo

Panthers are black jaguars not black leopards, and since there are no other large predators in south america anymore they tend not to drag prey into trees.


----------



## Zoekins

2 years ago my parents were travelling back from a caravaning trip up north and a black panther jumped out from one side of some dense woods into the road ahead of them. It stopped briefly and then darted across to the other side and disappeared into the trees. My mum saw it as clear as day in front of her, they're lucky they didnt run it over! I'll have to ask her where exactly it was she saw it, i cant remember offhand but i shall find out. I'd love to see a wild cat but they are so allusive!


----------



## slippery42

Come on people get a grip.

When I was a child sweets were massive, every year we had 6 foot of snow and life went real slow and my parent were really old to me (they were actually young parents)

You get the drift.

Speak to Joe public about snakes in the Uk and they'll swear a slow worm is a snake and adder are grass snake or vise versa and all snakes sting you!

A fleeting glimpse of a creature in the dark or at distance does not mean it was a big cat!

Its all about perception and wanting something to be there!

Whilst there may have been a few released back in the 70's its hard to believe they are all over the place.

As for the footage I've seen most is so poor how can anyone tell?

Until a decent photographer get a quality image on still on on HD video its all bull


----------



## Crocodile

Most Pics Are blurry could be a great dane my great dane looked like it could be a black panther from a distance, I for one will only believe it wen i see it or see some proper evidence


----------



## slippery42

Crocodile said:


> Most Pics Are blurry could be a great dane my great dane looked like it could be a black panther from a distance, I for one will only believe it wen i see it or see some proper evidence


Now thats more my kind of post!

Healthy *scepticism*!!!!


----------



## sparkle

retri said:


> I know they are thinking about reintriducing wolves to scotland, and have already done so with beavers, would love to see a bit more variety of species in the UK, or at least species that were here origonally


we have a beaver in our back garden... it comes to vsit , really cool 
id love to see wild wolves also..


----------



## slippery42

sparkle said:


> we have a beaver in our back garden... it comes to visit


My favourite!:lol2::lol2:


----------



## sasandjo

not a joke that beaver thing theres a few pairs in scotland now and they've also just been legally reintroduced

also with regards to big cats in the wild look up "Felicity" the Puma she was trapped near cannoch invernesshire


----------



## bomb

The thing is for a country thats as expansive as it is, the amount of animals that would have been released and the natural secretive side of the animals in question you'd be hard pressed to find one. Smaller big cats could survive I couldn't see a Tiger or a Lion for example being able to survive without somebody knowing of it by now, prey items would be dissapearing at an alarming rate in the area of where the animal would be.


----------



## Bexie

There was a panther captured in coalbrookdale in telford a few years back, she was cornered in a field and i believe she now resides in a zoo, not sure which or wther it is true though ...


----------



## shanekent

I have personally witnessed a lynx on a couple occasions, was on a land myself and a buddy had shooting rights on, first time I saw it it was about 500 meters away and at first thought it was a fox but as soon as I levelled the scope on it and got a close look I couldn't believe it, since then I have seen on two other occasions.


----------



## Crocodile

shanekent said:


> I have personally witnessed a lynx on a couple occasions, was on a land myself and a buddy had shooting rights on, first time I saw it it was about 500 meters away and at first thought it was a fox but as soon as I levelled the scope on it and got a close look I couldn't believe it, since then I have seen on two other occasions.


 
Should Have Shot It Then, Anybody can say they have seen one & hey you might of but without any evidence then I aint gonna take anyones word for it,


----------



## ScottGB

There's supposed to be a lynx some where near where i used to live. But I'm not sure if I beleive it.


----------



## Draven

Crocodile said:


> Should Have Shot It Then, Anybody can say they have seen one & hey you might of but without any evidence then I aint gonna take anyones word for it,


Sorry but I have to disagree here.. shooting it for 'evidence' is cruel! A picture (a clear picture) is all it'd take for me to believe.


Draven


----------



## Zak

Did the government not actually confirm that there are ABC's (alien big cats) residing in the UK a few years ago. Yes footage is awful but theres alot of other evidence to support their existence such as kills (which are very cat specific over dogs), paw prints etc.

I live in quite a rural area and the local rabbit shooter has spoken to be about large cats and paw marks. This guy is a full blown outdoorsman and knocks the marks of most animals yet couldn't identify ones he did see. 

I do believe that the UK does have big cats roaming its wilder parts. If anyone has ever been up to highlands you'll know how barren it is and a small population of cats could easily hide in such areas, there would be enough food we put livestock anywhere and everywhere and deer populations are soaring. Whether or not they've bred i dont know and due to founder effects the populations would probably be so inbred it would be awful.

Yes a lovely carcass or clear photograph/video would be fantastic but who knows how long that'll take. Call me a conspiracist but do you honestly think if a dead large cat was found it would be put on the news? Or would the government shush it up because it would cause mass hysteria - our children arent safe to play outside etc etc etc.

British big cats - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

In regards to the beavers - thats awesome! Get some photos. I know the guy reintroduced a pair on his private estate recently. Will have to see how it goes.


----------



## xCherrypie

My uncle took his dog for a walk on a wooded area a year or so ago and found a mutilated deer in a tree... thats apparently big cat feeding behaviour.


----------



## grumpyoldtrout

OK its an oldie but....................

BBC NEWS | England | Norfolk | Police report solves lynx mystery

Near us

Ardrossan Big Cat

They are still around, I am rural and have had 3 sightings in the last 20 years, one was no more than 50 feet from the front door, jumped a five bar fence and bounded off.


----------



## gazz

Javeo said:


> Panthers are black jaguars not black leopards, and since there are no other large predators in south america anymore they tend not to drag prey into trees.


Panther a gose with three big cats.

Black leopard is known as a panther.
Black jaguar is known as a panther.
Mountain lion,cougar,puma is also known as a panther.


----------



## jeff pollitt

*big cats wild in the u.k.?*

in about 1982 ther was an exotic animal dealer based in rochdale, gtr.manchester who advertised in "cage and aviary birds" one of the animals advertised was a black leopard, when the D.W.A. act came in cage and aviary stopped advertising anything on the D.W.A. and for several years after there was sightings of a "large black cat" around haslingden, rossendale and ramsbottom. all within a few mile radius of the "dealer"


----------



## lil05

jeff pollitt said:


> in about 1982 ther was an exotic animal dealer based in rochdale, gtr.manchester who advertised in "cage and aviary birds" one of the animals advertised was a black leopard, when the D.W.A. act came in cage and aviary stopped advertising anything on the D.W.A. and for several years after there was sightings of a "large black cat" around haslingden, rossendale and ramsbottom. all within a few mile radius of the "dealer"


 ive heard of some big black cat been spotted near where i live but thats been said so many times before since 60s or somthing


----------



## gaz0123

has anyone herd of the "beast of essex", i remeber seeing a large black cat as in panther size a few years back when i was with a mate in farm field/woods there was a barbed wire fence betwwen us and the cat but it was as i said abou the size of panther and had a red marking on its forehead has anyoen else seen this as it has been sighted numeras times in and around colchester


----------



## stubeanz

it has been proven that lynx have been living and breeding here for years in 2003 a female lynx was found with 2 kittens in a school near me and was euthanised. it was the school holidays so know children where there. they are thinking of reintroducing lynx into the uk again anyway:2thumb:
As to big cats if there are any then i would think they would be found in the highlands of scotland or in wales as there are hardly any people and lots of space for them to go undetected.
stu


----------



## slippery42

stubeanz said:


> it has been proven that lynx have been living and breeding here for years in 2003 a female lynx was found with 2 kittens in a school near me and was euthanised. it was the school holidays so know children where there.


For us "no believers" any proof?

Where was this ?


----------



## stubeanz

tbh i dont have any "proof" was just in paper and bbc filmed there at one stage with chris packman seeing it. i personaly am sceptical also but when i went to a conference for reintroducing mammals into the uk this case came up and we were told they were found and put down.
at the conference they said plans were to reintroduce wild boar (feral populations here already), lynx (feral populations here already?), beaver (introduced in a secret location), wolves (wasnt swaying in the way of them being introduced) and various others which i personaly belive would never be introduced.
when i had a talk with a local wild animal rescue center he told us the police have told him and other rescues that there are big cats out there and that if you have a call ring a certain number.... tbh i dont belive theres some little catch up group but he said it never the less.
stu


----------



## slippery42

stubeanz said:


> tbh i dont have any "proof" was just in paper and bbc filmed there at one stage with chris packman seeing it. i personaly am sceptical also but when i went to a conference for reintroducing mammals into the uk this case came up and we were told they were found and put down.
> at the conference they said plans were to reintroduce wild boar (feral populations here already), lynx (feral populations here already?), beaver (introduced in a secret location), wolves (wasnt swaying in the way of them being introduced) and various others which i personaly belive would never be introduced.
> when i had a talk with a local wild animal rescue center he told us the police have told him and other rescues that there are big cats out there and that if you have a call ring a certain number.... tbh i dont belive theres some little catch up group but he said it never the less.
> stu


I'm not disputing that there have been a small number of escapes or deliberate releases, mainly around the introduction of the DWA Act, however I have major issues in believing the hype that there are significant numbers of big cats out there.

The introduction of beaver is one thing but the re-introduction of Wolves is some way off and I believe it will never happen, joe public would shit them selves and the half wits with guns would have a great time.

When you do searches on the internet on the subject you tend to find poor quality video or images which mostly appear like domestic cats from a distance.

There is also a Chinese Whispers mentality where people plainly havent got a clue what they have seen.

"If we are on this forum we care for herps and how often do the ignorant public tell us about huges snakes and all kinds of other bull?"

As a photographer I've seen a few interesting things in the wild and have been lucky enough to be up a tree with a true Scottish Wild Cat and they are impressive and leave big prints seen from a distance they look like "big cats".

Personally speaking I'd love there yo be breeding populations of Wild Cats around the UK but will only believe it when I see evidence and by that I dont mean some crappy video which looks like it was recorded on selotape.

Show me the Pictures.............................................

Interesting thread even though I am a disbeliever:Na_Na_Na_Na:


----------



## retri

stubeanz said:


> it has been proven that lynx have been living and breeding here for years in 2003 a female lynx was found with 2 kittens in a school near me and was euthanised. it was the school holidays so know children where there. they are thinking of reintroducing lynx into the uk again anyway:2thumb:
> As to big cats if there are any then i would think they would be found in the highlands of scotland or in wales as there are hardly any people and lots of space for them to go undetected.
> stu


why the hell was it euthinased? I thought they were origonally a species native to the UK?


----------



## retri

One thing you do have to take into account, peopel think there are panthers out there, even in countris where panthers do live in the wild they are still very rarely seen, so it is always possible that there are a few big cats out there, but I still struggle to believe that there is a possibility they could be breeding out there.

Also surely there were not that many people keeping big cats before the DWA came in? i would imagine that even if every big cat kept in the uk was released when DWA was introduced then it would be no more than a few hundered and these would be various species and would also be very unlikely to come in contact with eachother surely?


----------



## _jake_

Has anyone seen the lion spotted a few weeks ago in Bradley Stoke, Bristol?. They even had a police helicopter up searching. Apparently it escaped from a private keeper a few miles away


----------



## slippery42

_jake_ said:


> Has anyone seen the lion spotted a few weeks ago in Bradley Stoke, Bristol?. They even had a police helicopter up searching. Apparently it escaped from a private keeper a few miles away


It was never proven and is most likely to have been a big dog spotted by some dumb local yokel!


----------



## 34531

I've seen one, sand coloured, size of a large dog, better still-with a cub in mouth. Near High Mycombe in a field by the motorway.


----------



## slippery42

forever_20one said:


> I've seen one, sand coloured, size of a large dog, better still-with a cub in mouth. Near High Mycombe in a field by the motorway.


:lol2:


----------



## thetong6969

i do beleive there must be one bigat if not a few living wild in the uk ,whether they were released years ago is another thing,
i'd not presume anyone would be so daft as too release them just because dwa laws change(wasn't stated as to what so i'm unsure)
i would like to think theres more than ennuff food for them even if just living on rabbits,one thing people forget global warming is down to everything being over populated hence more green house gases look at polar bears now there's about 100,000 if not more(probably where they show loads on a slab of ice then say antartica is melting away,not to mention were slowly going into an ice age)whereas a few years ago they were down to the last 1000
:blush:


----------



## ian14

thetong6969 said:


> i do beleive there must be one bigat if not a few living wild in the uk ,whether they were released years ago is another thing,
> *i'd not presume anyone would be so daft as too release them just because dwa laws change(wasn't stated as to what so i'm unsure)*
> i would like to think theres more than ennuff food for them even if just living on rabbits,one thing people forget global warming is down to everything being over populated hence more green house gases look at polar bears now there's about 100,000 if not more(probably where they show loads on a slab of ice then say antartica is melting away,not to mention were slowly going into an ice age)whereas a few years ago they were down to the last 1000
> :blush:


The change that led to the release was the Act itself being introduced. Prior to the Act, you could keep anything. However, many keepers were unable to either a) afford the licence and/or b) afford the security and housing requirements. This meant they were limited to a few choices - 1) keep the animal illegally (imagine how hard this would be in the case of a bog cat) and risk prosecution, 2) donate to other keepers/zoo's or 3) have the animal destroyed. In the case of (2), there would be very little scope for rehousing. The third would be unacceptable to any keeper. Most people were unwilling to risk prosecution, so the only other option was to release them.
My understanding is that the general veiw held is that as these are naturally secretive animals they will be rarely encountered as they are almost always reported in countryside, and a handful have survived and bred.


----------



## DaveAnscombe

I know for a fact..large cats roam brechfa mountains in wales..

Me and 4 friends saw a huge black cat we did spook it it ran.....we found it had been eating a deer .

So i know for a fact they are here in the uk......Also a large cougar spotted in the new forest .....

guess you have to see it with your own eyes to belive.....because i thought it was somthing told to just scare us


----------



## Lizard Boy S

duno if anyones posted this website somewhere in this thread but here you go British Big Cats - British Big Cats Society, Prove and Protect, Big Cat Sightings, Official Website :2thumb:


----------



## Salamanda

My cousin is a new reporter on ITV wales and she made us go out looking for a black panther that had apparently spotted by a few people in the area. (so she could write a report). We didnt find anything though.


----------



## stubeanz

thetong6969 said:


> i do beleive there must be one bigat if not a few living wild in the uk ,whether they were released years ago is another thing,
> i'd not presume anyone would be so daft as too release them just because dwa laws change(wasn't stated as to what so i'm unsure)
> i would like to think theres more than ennuff food for them even if just living on rabbits,one thing people forget global warming is down to everything being over populated hence more green house gases *look at polar bears now there's about 100,000 if not more(probably where they show loads on a slab of ice then say antartica is melting away*,not to mention were slowly going into an ice age)whereas a few years ago they were down to the last 1000
> :blush:


hate to say it mate but polar bears are from the artic thats why they dont eat penguins lol
stu


----------



## retri

forever_20one said:


> I've seen one, sand coloured, size of a large dog, better still-with a cub in mouth. Near High Mycombe in a field by the motorway.


Sand coloured the size of a dog, you mean like a golden Labrodoor?:whistling2:


----------



## Lizard Boy S

thetong6969 said:


> i do beleive there must be one bigat if not a few living wild in the uk ,whether they were released years ago is another thing,
> i'd not presume anyone would be so daft as too release them just because dwa laws change(wasn't stated as to what so i'm unsure)
> i would like to think theres more than ennuff food for them even if just living on rabbits,one thing people forget global warming is down to everything being over populated hence more green house gases look at polar bears now there's about 100,000 if not more(probably where they show loads on a slab of ice then say antartica is melting away,not to mention were slowly going into an ice age)whereas a few years ago they were down to the last 1000
> :blush:


apart from what others have said they dont actually know about the ice age bit still... theres thoughts now that we are still in an ice age but in what is called an interstadial period (a warmer period within a cold period)due to the shortness of the last glacial period (cold period), but we could have also moved into an interglacial also there is evidence for both but they cant say for sure. my apologies for any confusions in that explanation


----------



## slippery42

DaveAnscombe said:


> I know for a fact..large cats roam brechfa mountains in wales..
> 
> Me and 4 friends saw a huge black cat we did spook it it ran.....we found it had been eating a deer .
> 
> So i know for a fact they are here in the uk......Also a large cougar spotted in the new forest .....
> 
> guess you have to see it with your own eyes to belive.....because i thought it was somthing told to just scare us



And I've seen the Loch Ness Monster!


----------



## reptismail

im in north walesand apparentl there are some panthers on anglesey !! there is a women who owns a farm near a mate of mine and aparantlyshe was sorting out the horses because they were gettign wound up and when she had a look there was a big black cat roaming around , she ran into the house and called her daughter who came in her landrover and scared it off.im not sure what to think of this story but i do believe there are some in the uk. ( cant wait tilli find a cub lol ) 
Ismail


----------



## bampoisongirl

wohic said:


> seen one plain as day it walked out in front of our , and trotted off down the road in full view for about 30 seconds. I am in NO doubt at all that it was a panther.





slippery42 said:


> Come on people get a grip.
> 
> When I was a child sweets were massive, every year we had 6 foot of snow and life went real slow and my parent were really old to me (they were actually young parents)
> 
> You get the drift.
> 
> Speak to Joe public about snakes in the Uk and they'll swear a slow worm is a snake and adder are grass snake or vise versa and all snakes sting you!
> 
> A fleeting glimpse of a creature in the dark or at distance does not mean it was a big cat!
> 
> Its all about perception and wanting something to be there!
> 
> Whilst there may have been a few released back in the 70's its hard to believe they are all over the place.
> 
> As for the footage I've seen most is so poor how can anyone tell?
> 
> Until a decent photographer get a quality image on still on on HD video its all bull


I totally agree, but what about people like Wohic who saw them right in front of them? You cant say that thats perception and wanting them to be there lol!



Crocodile said:


> Should Have Shot It Then, Anybody can say they have seen one & hey you might of but without any evidence then I aint gonna take anyones word for it,


Why should they shoot it? its not their bloody fault they're here! I agree with Retri, thats just cruel xx


----------



## slippery42

bampoisongirl said:


> I totally agree, but what about people like Wohic who saw them right in front of them? You cant say that thats perception and wanting them to be there lol!


Again the issue I have is that unless Wohic has a photograph or is a zoolologist or mammal expert etc his/her post isnt real evidence (and before anyone gets pissy I'm not have a personal go at that person).

Imagine if this were being presented infront of a court and a jury?

Evidence, physical evidence etc.


----------



## sharpstrain

I have also been lucky enough to see one - a panther. I really dont care whether or not anyone believes me I know what I saw and it was stunning. I didnt report it- I just counted myself as lucky to have seen one. Interestingly though there were a few reported sitings in the same area over the same weekend


----------



## biomass

A good friend of mine saw a Puma with a seagull in it's mouth near Dornoch, northern Scotland about 3 years ago. It was seen early morning, came out of some trees at the side of the road then turned back into the woods.

He has a good knowledge on native wildlife and he assured me he knew what he was looking at. I personally do think there are wild big cats in the UK, Scotland has so much remote habitat that they could easily live,breed and hunt without being seen.


----------



## rum&coke

how many people have seen a deer or a badger or wild pig not that many but they are out there so its not so hard to think that big cats could be


----------



## ryanr1987

biomass said:


> A good friend of mine saw a Puma with a seagull in it's mouth near Dornoch, northern Scotland about 3 years ago. It was seen early morning, came out of some trees at the side of the road then turned back into the woods.
> 
> He has a good knowledge on native wildlife and he assured me he knew what he was looking at. I personally do think there are wild big cats in the UK, Scotland has so much remote habitat that they could easily live,breed and hunt without being seen.


 Lol what the hell was a cougar doing in scotland would be cool to see though


----------



## jamestheball

There probably is a few small colonies but i doubt there are any more than a hundred or so in the whole british isles. Although i'm sure i heard somewhere lynx's are native to scotland.


----------



## slippery42

jamestheball said:


> There probably is a few small colonies but i doubt there are any more than a hundred or so in the whole british isles. Although i'm sure i heard somewhere lynx's are native to scotland.


Probably less than 10 "big cats" though there may be more of the smaller species...


----------



## AZUK

Many years ago we had an atrocious local zoo now long closed down. This zoo was responsible for many escapee's including Big Cats, Lion to be precise. I can remember as a Kid being stalked by something very big in the middle of the night whilst fishing with some Friends. Several weeks later a local Game keeper shot a female Lion which found it's self on his land. I can also rember a Leopard running up and down our school perimeter which caused quite a stir !


----------



## Owzy

AZUK said:


> Many years ago we had an atrocious local zoo now long closed down. This zoo was responsible for many escapee's including Big Cats, Lion to be precise. *I can remember as a Kid being stalked by something very big in the middle of the night whilst fishing with some Friends. *Several weeks later a local Game keeper shot a female Lion which found it's self on his land. I can also rember a Leopard running up and down our school perimeter which caused quite a stir !


May I ask how u clocked it?

If wilderbeast can't see them coming, u must have a good eye to spot one in darkness!


----------



## AZUK

Ozzy said:


> May I ask how u clocked it?
> 
> If wilder beast can't see them coming, u must have a good eye to spot one in darkness!


In th wild Lions are ambush hunters they use the tall grasses of the savanna as cover obviously there was none of this to hide behind.
There were four of us fishing at the time we were actually poaching a well know stretch of Trout water so were were on our guard constantly looking out for the Bailiff hence we noticed a large shape zig zagging across the Field behind us, it was not until the shape was a couple of hundred yards away that it suddenly rose up from a crouched position at which point we all scarped pretty dam quick ! It may not have been the Lioness true (we did not hang around for a close inspection) but the fact that one was shot a week later in the same area, that it seems like a likely.


----------



## shropshire-vivs

Bexie said:


> There was a panther captured in coalbrookdale in telford a few years back, she was cornered in a field and i believe she now resides in a zoo, not sure which or wther it is true though ...


There have been a few sightings in Telford, a friend of my dad said he saw 1 around Aquaduct pools. Apparently there was also a few sightings around Lawley where there were alot of fields but now the housing developments have started it obviously would of had to move area and i havent heard of any sightings for a long while now.


----------



## slippery42

AZUK said:


> In th wild Lions are ambush hunters they use the tall grasses of the savanna as cover obviously there was none of this to hide behind.
> There were four of us fishing at the time we were actually poaching a well know stretch of Trout water so were were on our guard constantly looking out for the Bailiff hence we noticed a large shape zig zagging across the Field behind us, it was not until the shape was a couple of hundred yards away that it suddenly rose up from a crouched position at which point we all scarped pretty dam quick ! It may not have been the Lioness true (we did not hang around for a close inspection) but the fact that one was shot a week later in the same area, that it seems like a likely.


A lioness shot in wales?

would you like to confirm where and when?

Or is this another chinese whisper?


----------



## Owzy

slippery42 said:


> A lioness shot in wales?
> 
> would you like to confirm where and when?
> 
> Or is this another chinese whisper?


I was thinking someone miiight just consider it a kodak moment...


----------



## AZUK

slippery42 said:


> A lioness shot in wales?
> 
> would you like to confirm where and when?
> 
> Or is this another chinese whisper?


 
It was an awfully long Time ago (got to be 30 years+).
To the best of my knowledge it's true, The zoo in question had a terrible reputation.


----------



## slippery42

AZUK said:


> It was an awfully long Time ago (got to be 30 years+).
> To the best of my knowledge it's true, The zoo in question had a terrible reputation.


Poor memory, childhood memories, chinese whispers etc etc come to mind!

BTW this isnt an attack on you but typifies such?


----------



## Fixx

slippery42 said:


> Poor memory, childhood memories, chinese whispers etc etc come to mind!
> 
> BTW this isnt an attack on you but typifies such?


We had a wolf on the loose from a local wildlife park just up the road, these things do happen.


----------



## slippery42

Fixx said:


> We had a wolf on the loose from a local wildlife park just up the road, these things do happen.


No one can doubt that *occasional* cases occur where critters escape but these are always well documented and notified but instance where some recalls "blah blah blah" or they have been told by some second party or a vague memory of when they were a child.............

Thanks to everyone for an interesting thread but I'm out of this now................unless you have proof!


----------



## daz666

slippery42 said:


> No one can doubt that *occasional* cases occur where critters escape but these are always well documented and notified but instance where some recalls "blah blah blah" or they have been told by some second party or a vague memory of when they were a child.............
> 
> Thanks to everyone for an interesting thread but I'm out of this now................unless you have proof!


you,ve gotta belive all these ppl who have seen them 4 there selfs :lol2:sounds like there is more big cats wild in this country than pigeons.


----------



## Alex27

never seen a big cat but i did see a family of deer about 3 weeks ago me n 2 friends have spotted 'em twice now


----------



## Draven

rum&coke said:


> how many people have seen a deer or a badger or wild pig not that many but they are out there so its not so hard to think that big cats could be


This is a really good point and I agree that there must be some out there but I highly doubt there's ever been more than 1 of a certain species to breed so the idea of them breeding is rubbish to me.. I reckon out of everyone that's posted 10% did see a "big cat" (if that) and the rest are lies or misjudgment completely.

Draven


----------



## reptismail

could they breed over here ?


----------



## mrhoyo

reptismail said:


> could they breed over here ?


zoos manage it. Mammals dont need extra heat to maintain body temp, they use the energy from their food so yes, they could breed.

I'm glued to this thread, it seems that everywhere in the country has a story about big cats. Whether or not all of these places are home to the animals themselves is unknown but I think it would liven up camping trips if they were!


----------



## sasandjo

ryanr1987 said:


> Lol what the hell was a cougar doing in scotland would be cool to see though


prob desendants (sp) of animals like this 

Am Baile - Felicity the Puma, caught at Cannich, 1980

this is a well documented case after being captured she lived the rest of her life out at a wildlife park.

but how many are still out there in scotland,its a big enough place to get lost in. theres areas in the glens ive fished that i aint seen or heard any signs of civilisation for a week till i went home.


----------



## Hopeinthedark

I saw one about 2 years ago - was walking my dogs and a black leopard ran along in front of a hedgerow and went into a wood. I work in a zoo and they're fairly unmistakable if you've spent time working with/around them. Needless to say I didn't want to follow a potentially hungry pussy cat into a dark wood with two dogs that would be fair game. 

I think the reason there's no 'evidence' is that sightings are nearly always unexpected and brief - back then I didn't have a camera phone, and if I had the same experience today I don't think there'd be time to react quick enough, it was gone within 10 seconds. 

I reckon its maybe something you don't believe til you see one yourself ;-)


----------



## SWMorelia

I've been following this thread, why I don't know... LOL
I live near the Forest of Dean...... There's big black cats in there.... 
I'm not sure about the claims that are made....
A guy I work with is mates with Danny Nineham, big cat expert. (He drives the local milk wagon... LOL) The local rag goes to him for exclusives.... LOL.
What I wanted to say was......
In the middle ages.... Weird animals were released into the countryside for Landed Gentry to hunt..... 
Chances are some could survive till now.... We haven't raped lots of bits of land till now. Giving them all the room that's needed to hide.
IDK.... Just another theory.....
my question is.... Why haven't they found a skeleton of one.... Like they can't live forever.....


----------



## Owzy

SW-morelia said:


> I've been following this thread, why I don't know... LOL
> I live near the Forest of Dean...... There's big black cats in there....
> I'm not sure about the claims that are made....
> A guy I work with is mates with Danny Nineham, big cat expert. (He drives the local milk wagon... LOL) The local rag goes to him for exclusives.... LOL.
> What I wanted to say was......
> In the middle ages.... Weird animals were released into the countryside for Landed Gentry to hunt.....
> Chances are some could survive till now.... We haven't raped lots of bits of land till now. Giving them all the room that's needed to hide.
> IDK.... Just another theory.....
> my question is.... *Why haven't they found a skeleton of one*.... Like they can't live forever.....


Very good point, I would LOVE for all this to be true, but unfortuantly for me I am too much of a sceptic to just take people's word for it. (it's not that I don't belive they believe they saw one, but as has been said the mind can play tricks)

I think it would be a great idea for natural world to get on the case... however as pointed out it is a facinating subject, and if it was more than internet rumors im thinking they would already come up with something.


----------



## SWMorelia

Owzy said:


> Very good point, I would LOVE for all this to be true, but unfortuantly for me I am too much of a sceptic to just take people's word for it. (it's not that I don't belive they believe they saw one, but as has been said the mind can play tricks)
> 
> I think it would be a great idea for natural world to get on the case... however as pointed out it is a facinating subject, and if it was more than internet rumors im thinking they would already come up with something.


 SORRY RORY........
BUT.
I have to drag you in...... LOL
Rory knows what a Big Cat looks like.
He said to me once..... *Rory you pick this up now*
And I have no reason to disbelieve, someone who probably knows the difference.....


----------



## Owzy

SW-morelia said:


> SORRY RORY........
> BUT.
> I have to drag you in...... LOL
> Rory knows what a Big Cat looks like.
> *He said to me once..... *Rory you pick this up now**
> And I have no reason to disbelieve, someone who probably knows the difference.....


Not following you...

Are you saying a big cat expert has told you he has seen one, if so fair enough, not proof though... unless he has a picture...


----------



## pollywog

There have been a significant number of sightings around this area over quite a long period of time including a video in the mid 90's that was confirmed to be a leopard.
Only a couple of years ago paw prints were found on the bonnet of a car parked on the old hills and my Uncle saw what he believes to be a big cat on a back road a few miles from that spot, it was late evening and he thought it was a dog in the road at first untill it lept over a hedge at which point it was quite clearly not a dog.



> my question is.... Why haven't they found a skeleton of one.... Like they can't live forever.....


I remember seeing a video, I think it was an Open University programme, where they showed part of a deer carcass decomposing in a woodland.
The carcass was quickly scavanged by various animals some of whome carried bits off to other areas, the most interesting bit was the bugs doing their magic dragged the majority of what was left into the layer of leaf litter untill there was virtually nothing to be seen.


----------



## ForeverHams

i was photographing deer on exmoor end of last year and while i was sat in soem bushes i heard a russeling behind me, i turned round expecting to see deer and just saw a Black panther disappearing into the ferns which then led towards woods, unfortuantely i only saw it for a second before it disappeared amongst the ferns. it really creeped me out and i didnt go down there photographing again on my own. unfortunately as i had a SLR on a tripod i had no chance of getting a picture as it wasl iterally a glimpse and to be honest i wasnt expecting to turn round and see that literally 30/40 meters away. what freaked me out the most is how close it was and i was oblivious to its presence.

I was spekaing to a highly knowledgable freind of mine locally who has kept all sorts of animals including big cats, he had an experience where he lived, with one. he came out of his back door saw a few dead chickens and then went round to the side where the chicken enclosure is (built to stop foxes) and saw a black shape jump 8 foot up ontop of the garage building he quickly ran round the side and saw a black panther running off into a field. about 2 months after this incident the animal was shot and killed less than 25 miles away. baring in mind how large the territories of these animals are it is more than likely that this was the same animal. 

These animals are definitely around, but i can understand sceptics as you need to see it to believe it.... and now i strongly believe they are living and quite possibly breeding in the UK. due to the vast amounts of deer in area's near me such as the new forest, forest of Bere and creech woods they would have no trouble finding prey yet due to the massive area's these forests cover they could go completely un-detected. 

Myself and my father believe we have found a big cat "lair" in the new forest, at the time we were looking for Sika deer in a really dense thicket, it was so dense in some parts we had to crawl. we reached an area near the centre of the thicket and found several deer skeletons and one carcass that stunk.. must have been a few weeks old. where the skeletons were there was alot of deer fur which had been plucked and several of the bones were broken or chewed/cracked. We also found scat which had been covered by a small amount of dirt.
# the scat was much larger than that of any fox i had seen previously, and i have never known foxes cover it in the same way although i could be incorrect
# Leopards are one of the few big cats to pluck their prey (this is one of the reasons we didnt believe it was a fox's kills)
# Foxes are not large enough to take down a sika deer (these are bigger than fallow but smaller than red) 
# the jaws of a fox would not be strong enough to crack soem of the bones we dsicovered

We sent several bones and samples of fur off to a guy in devon who co-ordinates big cat sightings, he later replied asking to see the site as the markings on the bones were very similar to that opf a big cat although not conclusive.

In my opinion the evidence i have seen and the sighting i had is more than enough to convince me these animals are around in the UK!!!


----------



## reptismail

i love this thread lol but im getting really dissheartened by some stories i have heard, my brother has just told me that he hasheard that one was sighted swwiming over the menai straits here up in north wales ( he has been told this and he doesnt believe iteither) but people are making some real lies out of some sitings and this area and no one will beleive it in the end .


----------



## AZUK

Quote:
*my question is.... Why haven't they found a skeleton of one.... Like they can't live forever..... *

How many domestic Cat skeletons have you come across, There must be tens of thousands of Cats kept in Britain yet we don't seem to falling over them. True most die at home but as many Cat owners will tell you at their end of Days some cats disappear never to be seen again, So it should not be to hard to imagine that the remains of a handful of animals have yet to be discovered.
Since the introduction of the DWA license in 1976 it is not hard to believe that some animals were released in to the wild by their owners much in the same way as non indigenous animals are in the states.

Back before the introduction of the DWA I used to visit a farm rear our house that used to slaughter some of our animals for us for meat. Dare I say it before being accused of being a lier our from having a poor memory, that this Farm actually had a pet lion kept at the farm. Which I can vividly remember.


----------



## SWMorelia

AZUK said:


> Quote:
> *my question is.... Why haven't they found a skeleton of one.... Like they can't live forever..... *
> 
> How many domestic Cat skeletons have you come across, There must be tens of thousands of Cats kept in Britain yet we don't seem to falling over them. True most die at home but as many Cat owners will tell you at their end of Days some cats disappear never to be seen again, So it should not be to hard to imagine that the remains of a handful of animals have yet to be discovered.
> Since the introduction of the DWA license in 1976 it is not hard to believe that some animals were released in to the wild by their owners much in the same way as non indigenous animals are in the states.
> 
> Back before the introduction of the DWA I used to visit a farm rear our house that used to slaughter some of our animals for us for meat. Dare I say it before being accused of being a lier our from having a poor memory, that this Farm actually had a pet lion kept at the farm. Which I can vividly remember.


If that farm was just outside Newport, I went there as well...
I remember them having a lion called Jason..... Though I should imagine there was more than just that one kept as a pet.... LOL


----------



## slippery42

A lot of this seems to hark back to the start of the DANGEROUS WILD ANIMALS ACT

Perhaps all those people out there who are intimating that there are "lots" of big cats out there should indicate how many "big cats" were deliberately released at the onset of the DWAA!

Are "we" assuming that dozens, hundreds etc were released and a breeding like rabbits?

Or are we happy to agree that there may be 1/2 a dozen cats around the uk?

There is a clear difference not only in numbers but species which COULD survive for some time.....


----------



## SWMorelia

They will have to be breeding as any animals that were released when the DWAL came in would be at least 33 yrs old now..


----------



## snakemad123

ive actually seen what looked like a panther ona night hike in devon, bout 8 years ago as a wee nipper back then no one believed me


----------



## slippery42

SW-morelia said:


> They will have to be breeding as any animals that were released when the DWAL came in would be at least 33 yrs old now..


My point was to raise that issue.

I'd love it if there were a whole bunch of big cats out there, it would help us get rid of a lot of dumb half wits, however I've looked at the various iffy big cat site and checked out video and still and although there are instances of positive proof i.e a few dead "smaller cats" there is little in the way of evidence to big cats being present..

Dipsticks who cannot tell a dog from a cat or a black house pussy from a black leopard, tricks of the eye, poor recollection, childhood memories, dreams, iffy photographic skills and so on.

But there again some people will believe in anything if they want to even though they will never be able to prove it.

Are we out of steam on this thread or do we need to stoke its embers?:lol2:


----------



## Danny_mcr

very interesting thread and i have never seen a big cat living wild in the uk. as someone already mentioned introducing wolves and even bears into scotland is there been any progress on this cos im sure i first heard this 4yrs ago? can only be good as the deer are breeding like mad: victory:


----------



## slippery42

Danny_mcr said:


> very interesting thread and i have never seen a big cat living wild in the uk. as someone already mentioned introducing wolves and even bears into scotland is there been any progress on this cos im sure i first heard this 4yrs ago? can only be good as the deer are breeding like mad: victory:


Plenty of talk about introductions but it'll never happen!


----------



## Hoz

I think they are in the U.K. I don't have any pictures of a big cat, but I do have a cast of a paw print taken by by OH and his friend in some nearby woods.
At the moment the "Centre for Fortean Zoology" are looking at it, it's mentioned on their latest video blog (at 18.30 if anyone watches).
They've not confirmed it, but have said why it looks to be a big cat print.

Not as good as a clear pic of a big cat obviously, but as no one else has posted any pics I thought I'd share these.









The lighter is around 8 and a half cm in length.









And here it's on a fully grown mans hand.


----------



## reptismail

Just a quick Q. How old do leopards and jaguars get ? Because if they are still alive they would obviously be very old but sightings are becoming more and more common , some are obviously lying and some aren't, in which case that would mean that they HAVE bred successfully in the UK ( due to so much evidence/sightings very often) and maybe are . Also would the be any advantages of them breeding in the UK ,i would love to see them but i suppose they would kill lots of livestock/ pets. 



Ismail


----------



## SWMorelia

I found this to let you all see.
I remember it happening as it's only a couple of mile from where I live.
It's interesting as the witnesses are police officers..
Police confirm sighting of puma-like 'big cats' - Telegraph


----------



## slippery42

reptismail said:


> Just a quick Q. How old do leopards and jaguars get ? Because if they are still alive they would obviously be very old but sightings are becoming more and more common , some are obviously lying and some aren't, in which case that would mean that they HAVE bred successfully in the UK ( due to so much evidence/sightings very often) and maybe are . Also would the be any advantages of them breedingin the UK ,i would love to see them but i suppose they would kill lots of livestock/ pets.
> 
> 
> 
> Ismail


I do not think that reported sightings are getting any commoner in the UK if anything they are decreasing in number , however the internet does end up with any possible sighting being "embellished" and passed around.


----------



## mrcarlxx

all these sightings are probably just stray grey hounds looking for rabbits/dear.


----------



## slippery42

SW-morelia said:


> I found this to let you all see.
> I remember it happening as it's only a couple of mile from where I live.
> It's interesting as the witnesses are police officers..
> Police confirm sighting of puma-like 'big cats' - Telegraph


A good article, however, remember that the police often get things wrong, what was the professional experience of the officer who verified it was a big cat?

If they can follow some innocent dude and fill him full of holes..................

I notice that the article was from 2002, so the obvious question is where the ***k did they go?

Was Mr Plod having a laugh or just some numpty towny who couldnt tell his ar*e from his elbow?

Also please remember that if it does turn out to there is the odd big cat or indeed any of the smaller ones around those sods are likely to shoot first and identify later!

In addition just because there may be critters in that location doesnt mean they are in every wild wood or moorland across the UK!

Where do the British Big Cat society get this spurious statement from???

_"The British Big Cat Society said it had noted 800 reports of animals including pumas, black panthers and leopards in the past 12 months. *Breeding had reached near record levels*"._

Trying to talk them selves up or what?


----------



## reptismail

slippery42 said:


> _*Breeding had reached near record levels*"._


 i dont get it lol how the heck are they suppose to know if they are breeding

ismail


----------



## slippery42

reptismail said:


> i dont get it lol how the heck are they suppose to know if they are breeding
> 
> ismail


Yep looks like someone "British Big Cat Society" are a bunch of wide boys with little of no knowledge and prone to wide sweeping unsubtantiated statements


----------



## Owzy

They surely cannot make a statement like this if they have no proof

How can no one have got a decent video or photo of one yet?

If they can catch lions fighting with crocodiles and wilder beast on film, surely someone could catch a glimpse of one on video..


----------



## reptismail

exactly so its notlike they happen to be walking one day and happen to come across a panther and her cubs , and they speack about it like its a common ocurance.


----------



## leggy

rum&coke said:


> how many people have seen a deer or a badger or wild pig not that many but they are out there so its not so hard to think that big cats could be


oh seen boar 5 minutes from our house @ 7.30 am on 7 april.


----------



## leggy

SW-morelia said:


> I've been following this thread, why I don't know... LOL
> I live near the Forest of Dean...... There's big black cats in there....
> I'm not sure about the claims that are made....
> A guy I work with is mates with Danny Nineham, big cat expert. (He drives the local milk wagon... LOL) The local rag goes to him for exclusives.... LOL.
> What I wanted to say was......
> In the middle ages.... Weird animals were released into the countryside for Landed Gentry to hunt.....
> Chances are some could survive till now.... We haven't raped lots of bits of land till now. Giving them all the room that's needed to hide.
> IDK.... Just another theory.....
> my question is.... Why haven't they found a skeleton of one.... Like they can't live forever.....


seen the programs on him before we moved here there was supposed to be a big house near here that had a menagerie of small cats like swamp or jungle cats years ago.


----------



## slippery42

leggy said:


> seen the programs on him before we moved here there was supposed to be a big house near here that had a menagerie of small cats like swamp or jungle cats years ago.


Sounds Like another dreamer!


----------



## atum

just spent the last 20 minutes ploughing through this thread

where i live (hayling island) a big cat was found and shot quite a few years ago. believe it's in a local museum now. there's also rumours and 'sightings' of other 'big black cats'

i do believe there are big cats living in the wild. how many there are and if they are breeding im not too sure about. interesting post couple pages back about the 'den' being found with deer carcass's in the new forest was it? not too far from me


----------



## slippery42

atum said:


> just spent the last 20 minutes ploughing through this thread
> 
> where i live (hayling island) a big cat was found and shot quite a few years ago. believe it's in a local museum now. there's also rumours and 'sightings' of other 'big black cats'
> 
> i do believe there are big cats living in the wild. how many there are and if they are breeding im not too sure about. interesting post couple pages back about the 'den' being found with deer carcass's in the new forest was it? not too far from me


Sorry but your post is another example of inaccurate information.

A simple google search shows this was a swamp or jungle cat not a big cat or a black cat and it was run over by a woman in her car not caught and or shot!

This species is the largest of the _felis _genus but is not classed as dangerous to humans.


----------



## VoodooWitchDoctor

Black panthers do live in the South West!

I'm from the Gloucestershire, and many farmers, and land owners that I personally know have seen them, or know of people who have them selves seen them!

It goes back to the sixties, when it was trendy to keep large cats over here!

If anybody is wondering if these beasts could live in our conditions, just go to a zoo!

They live pretty much ok in a cold cage, let alone in the warmth of a cave or some woodland!

: victory:

Matt


----------



## atum

slippery42 said:


> Sorry but your post is another example of inaccurate information.
> 
> A simple google search shows this was a swamp or jungle cat not a big cat or a black cat and it was run over by a woman in her car not caught and or shot!
> 
> This species is the largest of the _felis _genus but is not classed as dangerous to humans.


im just saying what i have been told by other people. i've never looked into it


----------



## slippery42

atum said:


> im just saying what i have been told by other people. i've never looked into it


Fair comment sorry if I came across a bit blunt


----------



## slippery42

VoodooWitchDoctor said:


> Black panthers do live in the South West!
> 
> I'm from the Gloucestershire, and many farmers, and land owners that I personally know have seen them, or know of people who have them selves seen them!
> 
> It goes back to the sixties, when it was trendy to keep large cats over here!
> 
> If anybody is wondering if these beasts could live in our conditions, just go to a zoo!
> 
> They live pretty much ok in a cold cage, let alone in the warmth of a cave or some woodland!
> 
> : victory:
> 
> Matt


Matt

That still doesnt prove anything, we all know that various wild animals could and can live in the UK and it is possible that one or two exotic cats are still in the wild. However the idea that there are significant numbers which are successfully breeding seems to me to be mad. The only evidence which seems to be on the net is shockingly bad, either very grainy or recorded on sellotape.

I hope someone comes up with something firm on this thread!


----------



## ian14

slippery42 said:


> Sorry but your post is another example of inaccurate information.
> 
> A simple google search shows this was a swamp or jungle cat not a big cat or a black cat and it was run over by a woman in her car not caught and or shot!
> 
> This species is the largest of the _felis _genus but is not classed as dangerous to humans.


However, this is still a non native predatory cat! If this can survive, why not any of the other big cats?


----------



## Draven

ian14 said:


> However, this is still a non native predatory cat! If this can survive, why not any of the other big cats?


survive yes but a breeding population is highly unlikely! The chances of (going with the dwa theory) the same species of wild cat being freed in one area to breed would be so beyond slim.

Believe me i'd love for all these stories to be true but I just highly doubt them tbh.

Draven


----------



## rum&coke

Draven said:


> survive yes but a breeding population is highly unlikely! The chances of (going with the dwa theory) the same species of wild cat being freed in one area to breed would be so beyond slim.
> 
> Believe me i'd love for all these stories to be true but I just highly doubt them tbh.
> 
> Draven


why would that be beyond slim, most people on hear keep breeding pairs of just about every thing, not unlikely that anyone keeping big cats would have breeding pairs and them getting free


----------



## atum

slippery42 said:


> Fair comment sorry if I came across a bit blunt


no worries 

now, im off to find a puma. i'll be back with pics later...


----------



## slippery42

atum said:


> no worries
> 
> now, im off to find a puma. i'll be back with pics later...


If you get one I'll go and get a photo of Elvis riding the Loch Ness monster whilst swinging excalibur around his head!:lol2:


----------



## leggy

slippery42 said:


> Sounds Like another dreamer!


sorry was that aimed at me or the guy on tv


----------



## slippery42

leggy said:


> sorry was that aimed at me or the guy on tv


sorry mate the guy on the TV no offence meant


----------



## leggy

no worries oh said he was a f***wit:lol2:


----------



## ForeverHams

slippery42 said:


> Sorry but your post is another example of inaccurate information.
> 
> A simple google search shows this was a swamp or jungle cat not a big cat or a black cat and it was run over by a woman in her car not caught and or shot!
> 
> This species is the largest of the _felis _genus but is not classed as dangerous to humans.


 
Slippery42 maybe you should stop trying to know it all as this person who said about the cat shot on hayling island is correct... as that is where that cat i was talking about was shot dead. it was spotted by the guy i know in denmead and shot dead just a few months/weeks later on Hayling island.

Rather than try and be Mr Know it all and shoto down everyone's points maybe try having a proper read and do a bit more of a detailed search than google.

Perhaps a few of these claims have been slightly(or in some cases majorly) innaccurate... but the vast majority appear to have some truth or possible truth behind them.

And as to not filming them as someone said... do you know how long wildlife photographers spend to get the shots on TV... some of those 30 misn or 60 min programs take year to film. so its not really a suprise that they havent managed to film them in the UK with there being such a small population.

Unfortunately no matter how strong an arguement is some people are always going to be sceptics just for the sake of being loud mouthed and arguementative.

I think it's a pretty well known thing that there are big cats dotted around the UK... do you think every single one of the thousands of sightings in made up?... unfortunately some people have come up with silly hoax's which looses everyone with a similar sighting credibility.

EDIT: missed something
As to the few people who don't think some of these cats could survive.. all i have to say is LOL ... the UK climate would be perfect for Puma's and other large cats... and the amount of prey species around would be easy pickings!


----------



## slippery42

ForeverHams said:


> Slippery42 maybe you should stop trying to know it all as this person who said about the cat shot on hayling island is correct... as that is where that cat i was talking about was shot dead. it was spotted by the guy i know in denmead and shot dead just a few months/weeks later on Hayling island.
> 
> Rather than try and be Mr Know it all and shoto down everyone's points maybe try having a proper read and do a bit more of a detailed search than google.
> 
> Perhaps a few of these claims have been slightly(or in some cases majorly) innaccurate... but the vast majority appear to have some truth or possible truth behind them.
> 
> And as to not filming them as someone said... do you know how long wildlife photographers spend to get the shots on TV... some of those 30 misn or 60 min programs take year to film. so its not really a suprise that they havent managed to film them in the UK with there being such a small population.
> 
> Unfortunately no matter how strong an arguement is some people are always going to be sceptics just for the sake of being loud mouthed and arguementative.
> 
> I think it's a pretty well known thing that there are big cats dotted around the UK... do you think every single one of the thousands of sightings in made up?... unfortunately some people have come up with silly hoax's which looses everyone with a similar sighting credibility.
> 
> EDIT: missed something
> As to the few people who don't think some of these cats could survive.. all i have to say is LOL ... the UK climate would be perfect for Puma's and other large cats... and the amount of prey species around would be easy pickings!


I certainly seem to have rattled your cage though I'm not getting drawn into an argument or slanging match.

You appear to have missed the point as I'd love there to be breeding populations of "wild cats" in the UK (yes I know there is the native Scottish Wild Cat) but I fail to see any evidence of that.

If you read the thread you would see that I fully accept that there are/have been occasional instances of "wild cats' being found, run over etc, that is accepted as fact.

You dont know me and if you did you would understand why I feel frustration about the quality of still images and video footage and why I DO know how long filming and photography takes and why I am passionate about all forms of wildlife.

I'd really like to see some proof of "breeding big cats" so if you can point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it and if you can point out a bona fide article relating to a "shot" big cat on hayling island I'll happily apologise to you.

Hope this clarifies things.

I've found this thread quite interesting and hope other have.

BTW......show me the images!


----------



## ForeverHams

You seemed to have missed my point, people may have had sightings and not been able to take images, as far as i know there are no decent images (except of dead animals) but this doesnt mean they don't exist.

baring in mind sighting usually tend to be 100+ meters away the average digital camera isnt able to take images at that range (people have attmepted to have just been jumped on by others saying that its just an average cat (although correctly in some cases)) To be able to get a decent picture at that range you would need a more specialised camera such as an SLR with a telephoto lens.

as to the one on hayling island it was a few years back but it was in the local news and on tv.

There are regularly big cats killed (smaller cats such as ocelot usually) by car's that are not shown in the press... just because there isnt a news paper article or a picture of the bodies doesnt mean they don't exist. 

PS: i didnt mean to come across so aggressively it just gets on my nerves when people post something completely genuine and get jumped on by others who don't know anything about what has happened at a certain event. It can really put people of posting stuff on forums.... i know alot of people who have stopped posting or posted less because of people continuously telling them they are talking rubbish.


----------



## slippery42

ForeverHams said:


> You seemed to have missed my point, people may have had sightings and not been able to take images, as far as i know there are no decent images (except of dead animals) but this doesnt mean they don't exist.
> 
> baring in mind sighting usually tend to be 100+ meters away the average digital camera isnt able to take images at that range (people have attmepted to have just been jumped on by others saying that its just an average cat (although correctly in some cases)) To be able to get a decent picture at that range you would need a more specialised camera such as an SLR with a telephoto lens.
> 
> as to the one on hayling island it was a few years back but it was in the local news and on tv.
> 
> There are regularly big cats killed (smaller cats such as ocelot usually) by car's that are not shown in the press... just because there isnt a news paper article or a picture of the bodies doesnt mean they don't exist.
> 
> PS: i didnt mean to come across so aggressively it just gets on my nerves when people post something completely genuine and get jumped on by others who don't know anything about what has happened at a certain event. It can really put people of posting stuff on forums.... i know alot of people who have stopped posting or posted less because of people continuously telling them they are talking rubbish.


Looks like you and I may be at different ends of the spectrum.

As a photographer and wildlife specialist I'm fully aware of what is needed but as you say it takes patience and a degree of luck.

I'm still puzzled why instances of smaller cats such as ocelot, jungles cat etc would not feature in the press at they are always after a story particularly if it involves a non native species, you know the sort of shite they put up about snakes and so on.

Anyway thanks for your comments and lets hope one day there is positive proof and not the kind that is the result of some half witted farmer or plod shooting a nice critter dead?


----------



## Central Scotland Reptiles

Very interesting thread. 

Firstly i have a caveat around what i am about to say - I do not wish to get into a religon discussion!!

OK, that out the way, people believe in a higher being, God, if you will. Nobody has EVER seen him/her/it so how do we know there is one? People believe so strongly that he/she/it exists that they go each week to show their belief!! Just because you have not seen something doesn't mean to say you don't believe they exist!!

Personally i have never seen one. My father thinks he seen 'something' but he thinks all my Cornsnakes are over 10ft long so his observation skills are not the greatest!!

I do believe there are smaller species of cats living wild in the UK. Wouldn't it be great if the BBC were to try and solve the mystery once and for all? Didn't Channel 5, with Nick Baker, look at running a series on this very subject? I have not seen or heard of anything more though!!


----------



## pollywog

The occurance of Big Cats and other non-native wildlife in my local area really interests me and I've looked into it quite a bit in the past.

Worcestershire and where it borders with Herefordshire & Gloucestershire seems to be a hot spot for UK Big Cat sightings, in the space of one year alone there were around 50 sightings reported (and who knows how many don't get reported).
There has been video footage taken in Inkberrow that was confirmed as a Leopard by the West Mids Safari Park. There have been paw prints found in at least 2 locations (interestingly both on car bonnets). There have also been attacks on livestock and pets that Vet's have said looked to be caused by a large cat.

Although I don't have any proof of big cats breeding in the UK I do think it's possible. Some of the reports made in Worcestershire have included cubs and one report was of a mother with cubs. It is known that some local estates did have big cat collections, if they released them or the cats escaped as a pair or group could they not have stayed together & bred?


----------



## CrazyWolf84

mmm... 
never seen any but being in cornwall have heard some strange things !!!


----------



## atum

I GOT THE PUMA PIC... but the puma got me and then destroyed my camera :neutral:


----------



## babyburm

nighthunte29 said:


> there are black panthers in south west uk, there was one in the village i live in and it was eating farmers sheep, i thought i saw it at one point but im not sure


yeah in a village called higher ashton, my friend and his dad saw a big black panther in their feild! he was like 6/7 hes 19 now!


----------



## Draven

rum&coke said:


> why would that be beyond slim, most people on hear keep breeding pairs of just about every thing, not unlikely that anyone keeping big cats would have breeding pairs and them getting free


I'm sure that SOME people have kept a breeding pair of big cats but I doubt there would be that many and then what afew pairs got out? Nah I don't buy it..I do know that the odd cat has been found and either put in a zoo or killed but I don't believe there's a breeding population.. that's my opinion though and just like bigfoot its nice to believe somethings out there but IMHO its rubbish.. as someones already said its misjudement and poor memory MOST of the time..

Draven


----------



## sharpstrain

VoodooWitchDoctor said:


> Black panthers do live in the South West!
> 
> I'm from the Gloucestershire, and many farmers, and land owners that I personally know have seen them, or know of people who have them selves seen them!
> 
> It goes back to the sixties, when it was trendy to keep large cats over here!
> 
> If anybody is wondering if these beasts could live in our conditions, just go to a zoo!
> 
> They live pretty much ok in a cold cage, let alone in the warmth of a cave or some woodland!
> 
> : victory:
> 
> Matt


 
I live ion Gloucestershire too and I have seen one once and had a second possible siting that I a,not totally confident about


----------



## reptismail

i was just thinking about them breeding in the UK and i believe they are but then when you think about it this way it would be quite hard , if there happened to be a sexed pair escape in 60's well the young wouuld grow up and then i doubt there would be lots of others around so inbreeding would occur woudnt it ? and this means that over time they would change drastically.


----------



## Reptiledan

A few years ago i was walking along a river with my step dad and his friend. My step dad where looking on the other side of the lake and saw what they said to be a large black cat, however i did not see i, though i wasnt looking where they said they saw it.

Also, i know someone that found a large black cat with a cub in a forest about 30 mins from me.

I beleve that to be true as when i have been there, there is lots of evidence of high numbers of deer living there.

I would love for there to be big cats in the wild and after working at a zoo i have no doubt at all they could survive and breed.

The only thing that puts me off with all these sighting is for e.g. the amout of times people tell me about the snake that was found stretched across a bed next to its owner story and the people that tell it are always 100% its true....

Good thread :]


----------



## boids boi

invasion of the big cats !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol2:


----------



## Draven

boids boi said:


> invasion of the big cats !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol2:


certainly how its starting to sound!

Draven


----------



## Dexter

I'll be talking to myself so that no one gets the hump with me :whistling2:

There are loads of big cats in Brazil, as it's part of their natural fauna. I'm talking about certain types of pumas, jaguars and wild cats.

Unfortunately more and more humans destroy their natural habitats, and they are gradually disappearing or having to be sent to zoo's to spend the rest of their lives.

These cats don't live very long, I think they seldom live more than 13 - 15 years. They also need huge areas to find enough prey. It's very unlikely they would survive near farms, because people would end up killing them to protect their animals.

In Brazil, very few that are caught are ever released back to wild, because they find it hard to re-adapt. Since most big cats are stolen from wild when they are still babies, they will never learn how to hunt by themselves. They need to be taught by their parents when cubs.

I'll be soon going back to Brazil where I intend to work with big cats, because there is a growing demand for sanctuaries for them. There aren't many zoo's and sanctuaries equipped and with capacity to house all these animals. They eat about 3 Kg of meat a day which makes it quite expensive to keep, and you have to have a good structure so that people are safe in case they escape from their enclosure. 

Just to give you an idea, it's estimated that the authories retrieve 250 big cats a year in Brazil. These cats were stolen from wild and being kept as pets, or stopped when being smuggled.

So although I don't doubt those who say there are heaps of big cats loose in Britain, I'd find amasing that there aren't documentaries and a lot of footage of them in wild. Being a big cat enthusiast myself, I'd be tempted to go find them if I knew for sure they are living in a certain areas. 

Considering there is a lot of people with a lot more resouces and knowlegde than myself, I'd presume there would be quite a few biologists and zoologists who would have spent as much money and time searching for them as necessary.

I wish the stories were true, but I'm very sceptic about UFO, lochness monster and other things that people can't ever prove, so I'll sit back and wait until the truth surface.


----------



## Dexter

Reptiledan said:


> I would love for there to be big cats in the wild and *after working at a zoo* i have no doubt at all they could survive and breed.


Hi ya, sorry for the indiscretion, but would you mind telling us more about your experience working at a zoo ?

If you don't want to talk about it here, please drop me a pm and we take it from there.

Cheers, Dex.


----------



## tombutler86

Hey u will think im crazy but me and my neighbour heard a big cat, it came back a couple of nights in a row as I live next to a park.
To be honest, I never actually saw it, it was behind the fence but I have no doubt it was from the noise that it made,


----------



## slippery42

Dexter said:


> I'll be talking to myself so that no one gets the hump with me :whistling2:
> 
> There are loads of big cats in Brazil, as it's part of their natural fauna. I'm talking about certain types of pumas, jaguars and wild cats.
> 
> Unfortunately more and more humans destroy their natural habitats, and they are gradually disappearing or having to be sent to zoo's to spend the rest of their lives.
> 
> These cats don't live very long, I think they seldom live more than 13 - 15 years. They also need huge areas to find enough prey. It's very unlikely they would survive near farms, because people would end up killing them to protect their animals.
> 
> In Brazil, very few that are caught are ever released back to wild, because they find it hard to re-adapt. Since most big cats are stolen from wild when they are still babies, they will never learn how to hunt by themselves. They need to be taught by their parents when cubs.
> 
> I'll be soon going back to Brazil where I intend to work with big cats, because there is a growing demand for sanctuaries for them. There aren't many zoo's and sanctuaries equipped and with capacity to house all these animals. They eat about 3 Kg of meat a day which makes it quite expensive to keep, and you have to have a good structure so that people are safe in case they escape from their enclosure.
> 
> Just to give you an idea, it's estimated that the authories retrieve 250 big cats a year in Brazil. These cats were stolen from wild and being kept as pets, or stopped when being smuggled.
> 
> So although I don't doubt those who say there are heaps of big cats loose in Britain, I'd find amasing that there aren't documentaries and a lot of footage of them in wild. Being a big cat enthusiast myself, I'd be tempted to go find them if I knew for sure they are living in a certain areas.
> 
> Considering there is a lot of people with a lot more resouces and knowlegde than myself, I'd presume there would be quite a few biologists and zoologists who would have spent as much money and time searching for them as necessary.
> 
> I wish the stories were true, but I'm very sceptic about UFO, lochness monster and other things that people can't ever prove, so I'll sit back and wait until the truth surface.


At last someone who has a rational and scientific view!

This post will bring out the my "mate/dad/little brother saw a big cat 20 years ago so its true there are load of them" brigade


----------



## SiUK

well it was known that there were some big cats released into the wild in the 70s over 10 confirmed accounts, whether they are breeding or not is another matter thats yet to be 100% verified and they surely wouldnt still be alive now, although there was a juvinile big cat found dead at the side of a road in the UK I belive in the 90s.


----------



## sandmatt

tombutler86 said:


> Hey u will think im crazy but me and my neighbour heard a big cat, it came back a couple of nights in a row as I live next to a park.
> To be honest, I never actually saw it, it was behind the fence but I have no doubt it was from the noise that it made,


 
There are plenty of noises that can account for that, that arent big cats : victory:


----------



## slippery42

sandmatt said:


> There are plenty of noises that can account for that, that arent big cats : victory:


I can think of many strange noises in the woods, over fences, in the dunes etc!


----------



## matt1977

I have been lucky enough to see one in wales, I watched it through a friend telscopic sight on his air riffle we watched it chase an adult collie dog round a tree in the middle of a field the collie had enough and ran towards a farm house, the cat (who just seemed like it was playing with the dog) ran across the field in a flash and was gone, im sure this was a melanisitc leopard, cuz simply it looked like one it was a good deal bigger than the dog.
Ive read that most atacks on live stock by suspected big cats are reported as dog atacks as insurence companys wont pat out for big cat atacks as they dont officaly exsist in the uk. 
The dwa law came in in about 1976 (think thats right?). if there were cats released into the countryside for them to still be about it stands to reason that we must have a breeding population.
and if we do have a breeding population then it can only be a few more year befor theres enough of them to be an undeniable fact.


----------



## gilbery007

Really enjoyed reading this thread, would like to say I live near Cornwall and have heard of a few sightings down here in the southwest. 2 being one sighting on Exmoor and one on the Bodmin moor. Although some call it the Beast of Bodmin moor, I do believe a cat of this size could quite easily live undetected as there is a huge amount of open fields with plenty of hedgerows mixed with alot of woodland, perfect habitat for these big cats.

I also believe the small population that is here most certainly has to be breeding for them to still be here.

In the 60's keeping big cats i.e the Jaguar and black leopard was fashionable kinda like owning a mercedes, if you had one everyone wanted to be your friend. 

When the DWA act was brought in alot of these people released their animals and in some cases probably had not just one big cat.

I believe they are here in certain places and they are doing a good job remaining very illusive from anyone with a camera of any kind but the bit that puzzles me also is why isn't their any concrete evidence of this???

Surely someone has formed a team to track and discover these beautiful creatures living wild here in the UK!


----------



## Kev132

Now, im no expert on this at all and havent done TONS of reading but from the reading i did do, the main species they *think* it is, is the black leopard ?

You go and find a wild black leopard in their native jungles, see how well they hide there, and thats where there is a high concentration of them ! they could certainly hide very well in farmlands and forests here, so i reckon its highly possible they are about, and quite probable they are breeding too !


----------



## slippery42

gilbery007 said:


> Really enjoyed reading this thread, would like to say I live near Cornwall and have heard of a few sightings down here in the southwest. 2 being one sighting on Exmoor and one on the Bodmin moor. Although some call it the Beast of Bodmin moor, I do believe a cat of this size could quite easily live undetected as there is a huge amount of open fields with plenty of hedgerows mixed with alot of woodland, perfect habitat for these big cats.
> 
> I also believe the small population that is here most certainly has to be breeding for them to still be here.
> 
> In the 60's keeping big cats i.e the Jaguar and black leopard was fashionable kinda like owning a mercedes, if you had one everyone wanted to be your friend.
> 
> When the DWA act was brought in alot of these people released their animals and in some cases probably had not just one big cat.
> 
> I believe they are here in certain places and they are doing a good job remaining very illusive from anyone with a camera of any kind but the bit that puzzles me also is why isn't their any concrete evidence of this???
> 
> Surely someone has formed a team to track and discover these beautiful creatures living wild here in the UK!


I think people in Cornwall are sort ...........odd.............big cats, fairies in gardens, UFO's.........you all smoking weed or something eating odd mushrooms, licking toads, believing in ...........what ever????:lol2:


----------



## dandare500

I saw one cross the M20 at Ashford when on the way abroad on the chunnel; was about 4 in the morning, and a large black cat crossed in front of me. Was way too big for a British mammal. :gasp:


----------



## slippery42

dandare500 said:


> I saw one cross the M20 at Ashford when on the way abroad on the chunnel; was about 4 in the morning, and a large black cat crossed in front of me. Was way too big for a British mammal. :gasp:


tiredness does confuse!


----------



## ReefKeeper

One of the ''beasts'' on Bodmin is a lynx .. There you go


----------



## sandmatt

I remember the beast of sharkham point in devon





Turned out to be the dentists dog 




But there are more than likely big cats living on the moors.


----------



## f1001

a local farmer and good freind has found the carcus of a sheep up in an oak tree, and shown me, and i believe the only possible conclusion would be a big cat


----------



## wayward_son

longhaircavies said:


> I also live in yeovil and i really believe that ive seen 1 in a field not far from Hazelbury Plucknett.


Thats interesting my parents live in Templecombe. One night i saw something that I could have sworn was a big black cat. In all fairness though it was dark and I didn't get a good look.


----------



## Owzy

wayward_son said:


> Thats interesting my parents live in Templecombe. One night i saw something that I could have sworn was a big black cat. In all fairness though it was dark and I didn't get a good look.


Maybe just a normal house cat, but it was further away than you thought?


----------



## Dexter

I see a big black cat in my back yard every day.

His name is Wilson oo:


----------



## Draven

slippery42 said:


> I think people in Cornwall are sort ...........odd.............big cats, fairies in gardens, UFO's.........you all smoking weed or something eating odd mushrooms, licking toads, believing in ...........what ever????:lol2:


Lol! That tickled me...

Draven


----------



## renton

I'll just bump this up after reading a few posts as i was out in Thetford forest (someone mentioned it) with the girlfriend last sunday taking the dog for a walk and we came across a dead, what looked like a Muntjac once, half way up a tree. I'm 6ft 2 and was looking up at it so it was a fair way up there. Looked well wedged in in a fork in a branch. We though it was odd.

May of just been kids trying to freak people out. Worked on us!!


----------



## Surferdude09

Hey me and Sid who also posts on here once seen a big black cat in the Mendips in Somerset, it freaked us right out, it was bigger then a normal cat and much faster. It was dark but in the Mendips at night its very bright with all the stars and moon..

The locals in Cheddar Gorge complained about the Big Black Cats to the council...


----------



## Silversnake84

Yes, I know a few people who have seen them. Reports of sightings with cubs too! Both tawny and black morphs.


----------



## jacko1

there was a guy who admitted doing big cat hunts un england and said he was importing them and setting them free for paying coustomers to hunt and he said a good few got away


----------



## Caz

Rumour has it that when certain wildlife parks closed down in Norfolk some animals 'got out..'
There was a sighting of a large spotted cat (leopard/Jag etc) in Caister St Edmund, Norfolk in the 90's - was reported by 2 seperate people.


----------



## tracey

My grand father worked at the original Plymouth zoo on Central park(near to where plymouth argyle football ground stands today) back in the late 60's till its closure in 1978. He once told me that when zoo closed not all the animals were rehomed ''properly'' when quizzed about this a little more he said that two leopards were taken to a rural field in walkhampton(nr tavistock) and released by staff that were unwilling to deastroy such wonderfull animals.


----------



## Jack W

Silversnake84 said:


> Yes, I know a few people who have seen them. Reports of sightings with cubs too! Both tawny and black morphs.


It is very unlikely any body saw related cubs that were tawny and black as the only species of big cat that commonly show melanism are leopards and jaguars. And these don't appear in a tawny colouring, as they are a golden colouring with spots/ rosettes.


----------



## snakeboy28

*big cats in the wild*

Hey all i live in hartlepool near a lot of countryside and feilds,I am 110% sure i saw what looked like a panther,



Does big cat really exist? - Hartlepool Mail


----------



## Hoz

I'd be inclined to say they are in the country, was mainly the cast of the paw print I posted a pic of that swayed me.


----------



## Dizz

I think it's HIGHLY unlikely.

Our island is TINY and HUGELY populated. 

If we had big cats wandering about, we'd have evidence. And more than a fuzzy picture taken for 6 miles away.


----------



## Josh-sama

Dizz said:


> I think it's HIGHLY unlikely.
> 
> Our island is TINY and HUGELY populated.
> 
> If we had big cats wandering about, we'd have evidence. And more than a fuzzy picture taken for 6 miles away.


So you're saying all the cats released into the wild and whatnot just dissapeared? They decided to go on a boat and be taken up into a light. Like in the Cacoon. :whistling2:

You fail to realise, our country may still be small, but compared to size of us humans. It's HUGE.


----------



## sparkle

Dizz said:


> I think it's HIGHLY unlikely.
> 
> Our island is TINY and HUGELY populated.
> 
> If we had big cats wandering about, we'd have evidence. And more than a fuzzy picture taken for 6 miles away.


 
possibly but if youve ever been to the true wilds in the highlands you could walk for days and weeks and not bump into a single soul..

neither a big cat maybe but still...


----------



## slippery42

snakeboy28 said:


> Hey all i live in hartlepool near a lot of countryside and feilds,I am 110% sure i saw what looked like a panther,
> 
> 
> 
> Does big cat really exist? - Hartlepool Mail



Monkey Hangers!

Next you'll be telling us Monkeys are french spies
:lol2::lol2:


----------



## hugh.jones

*wales*

iv seen something while walking my dogs on the mountains behing big pit in wales. it was just a blur but the growl it made shocked me and the dogs wouldnt leave my side for the rest of the walk and they always run about so they knew something was there and they were protecting me. and akitas are pretty gud at being protective hugh.


----------



## slippery42

Josh-sama said:


> So you're saying all the cats released into the wild and whatnot just dissapeared?


Would you like to expand on that statement?

All?

How many, any proof etc?


----------



## knotism037

little story from this week near where I live,
Royston news from the Royston Crow look around for it.
I cant post the link as I am on my Ipod touch so I can't copy and paste


----------



## terrestrialterritories

I live in northern ireland. Back around 4 years ago a black panther escaped down near coleraine. Lived for around 7 months before it was captured. They had search warrants and everything looking for it. Musta been feedin on sheep deer or somthing like that


----------



## boromale2008

slippery42 said:


> Would you like to expand on that statement?
> 
> All?
> 
> How many, any proof etc?


there is a larger than domestic cat living in eston hills i think it is just a common wild cat and it attacked my mates two jack russells lol.


----------



## carlo69

*hi*

About 10 years ago on my way back from a sea fishing trip at 4am me (i was driving) and the passenger saw a puma jump over a fence right in front of us stop in the road for a few seconds then carried on his way ,it was 100% a puma , last year while i was in virginia we saw a puma at the side of the road at night eating a roadkill deer ,this was also unusual as they are not supposed to extend there range into virginia but we stopped the car for a proper look and it was def a puma


----------



## blazingtortoise

In the news

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West | Policeman takes 'big cat' video


----------



## ian14

Beat me to it!


----------



## Kev132

me too, we still have our doubters ? :lol2:


----------



## Owzy

Kev132 said:


> me too, we still have our doubters ? :lol2:


looks like a fat door mouse to me.


----------



## Ozgi

blazingtortoise said:


> In the news
> 
> BBC NEWS | Scotland | Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West | Policeman takes 'big cat' video


They just spoke about that on Radio 2, I thought somebody might mention it on here, lol.


----------



## Ozgi

"After running to his car to grab his camera phone"

He's a policeman and he leaves his phone in the car! tut tut.


----------



## ukgeckos

Local hunter shot a big cat a few years ago and it measures over a meter. Photographs of the dead animal were on the news alone with the length


----------



## sandmatt

Its a dog


----------



## kettykev

That's clearly a cat of some description


----------



## Dexter

Definitely a mutt dog.

Any person with a bit of knowledge of cats know they don't move like that (as if they are sniffing the ground), and specially don't wiggle their tails like that as they walk.


----------



## sandmatt

kettykev said:


> That's clearly a cat of some description


How'd you work that one out?


----------



## Ozgi

It's pretty hard to make out, why can't somebody just film one that is definately a big cat!

If you pause it at about 18 seconds though it definately looks like a cat. The length of the body and length of the tail don't look dog like at all!


----------



## Dexter

Just watched it again, and everything looks very consistent to a dogs behaviour, and even on 18 second it looks a lot more like a dog than a cat.


----------



## slippery42

Kev132 said:


> me too, we still have our doubters ? :lol2:


Yes! another crap piece of film which proves nothing!


----------



## slippery42

Dexter said:


> Just watched it again, and everything looks very consistent to a dogs behaviour, and even on 18 second it looks a lot more like a dog than a cat.


It looks like is cocks it leg, never seen a cat do that!

The tail is not long enough for a "panther/leopard"


----------



## Dexter

slippery42 said:


> Yes! another crap piece of film which proves nothing!


Well, it does prove a few things such as:

1) people are so eager to catch footage of big cats that any bad quality footage of a mutt dog taking a walk by the rail track will make big news

2) no wonder why police don't arrest many people in this country because thy can't tell their elbows from their arses


----------



## Lew

i dont think its a dog because the tail sort of flicks about like a cats unlike a dogs , however this just looks like a large domestic black cat to me


----------



## Dexter

Lew said:


> i dont think its a dog because the tail sort of flicks about like a cats unlike a dogs , however this just looks like a large domestic black cat to me


The quality of the movie is very poor, but the way it moves and 95% of the tail movement is of a dog.

So the little it resembles a cat, I debit to the poor quality of the movie.


----------



## Dexter

I just find it a shame that people can't comment on that article, because that would expose the bloke who filmed it.

I'm pretty sure he know it was not a black panther, but he editted the video just to show a part that is dubious due to poor quality.

Surely if he bothered to film it, he would have bothered to follow it a bit, and get closer, when he probably realised it was just a dog but still sold it to the press to get his 5 minutes of fame.


----------



## Jack the kipper

I found a dead sheep in the fork of a tree 8 years ago, while taking part in an otter survey on the river Teifi in west Wales. Couldn't get up there to have a close look at it, but was enough to make me believer!


----------



## wildlifewarrior

Jack the kipper said:


> I found a dead sheep in the fork of a tree 8 years ago, while taking part in an otter survey on the river Teifi in west Wales. Couldn't get up there to have a close look at it, but was enough to make me believer!


thats not a result of a big cat, thats just a stag night gone over the top: victory:


----------



## Jack the kipper

:lol2:


----------



## Dexter

Jack the kipper said:


> I found a dead sheep in the fork of a tree 8 years ago, while taking part in an otter survey on the river Teifi in west Wales. Couldn't get up there to have a close look at it, but was enough to make me believer!


 
I don't doubt anything, and I'm happy to hear everyone's experiences, it's just that IMO the animal in the video is anything but a cat (big or small).


----------



## proexotics

wouldnt say its clear enough for ANYBODY to say whether its cat or dog

but when you pause it,it does have the longer shape u would expect of a cat.

but come on how would they get here, it would take alot of them to escape in order to make any kind of population, these things die and these sightings have been happening for ages.


----------



## Dexter

Well, it depends where you pause the video. Indeed the beginning there are some resemblance to a cat which I think is down to poor video quality, but once the animal starts walking alongside the track, the hip movement, tail movement and pace is typical of a dog. Cats definitely don't walk like that.


----------



## Leliel

longhaircavies said:


> I also live in yeovil and i really believe that ive seen 1 in a field not far from Hazelbury Plucknett.


I used to like in Yeovil and am fairly sure i saw one on greenhouse hill... although i was a little way away. I'm a believer in big cats in Britain, especially after i saw that!


----------



## sandmatt

There are big cats about, but alot of videos do turn out to be dogs.


----------



## Kev132

no, i still dissagree, it doesnt wagg its tail, and it doesnt walk like a dog at all !!! what makes its tail look like its wagging, is it swinging its entire body as it walks !

i agree its a poor video, but show me a dog with a tail that long, a body that long but also with legs that big and a head that large too....

and a normal black domestic cat ? those railway lines are 4.5ft wide !!!!!


----------



## slippery42

boromale2008 said:


> there is a larger than domestic cat living in eston hills i think it is just a common wild cat and it attacked my mates two jack russells lol.


What is a *common wild cat*?

Are we talking about the Scottish Wild Cat or a feral cat?

Or are we talking about something else?


----------



## 7109

Kev132 said:


> no, i still dissagree, it doesnt wagg its tail, and it doesnt walk like a dog at all !!! what makes its tail look like its wagging, is it swinging its entire body as it walks !
> 
> i agree its a poor video, but show me a dog with a tail that long, a body that long but also with legs that big and a head that large too....
> 
> and a normal black domestic cat ? those railway lines are 4.5ft wide !!!!!



I fully aggree with Kev, me and my Family have watched the video countless times and even looked in the Sun paper at the picture. you all need your eyes testing if you think its a dog! HAHAHAHA


----------



## 7109

let me cope and paste 


The dog handler saw the black animal prowling close to HM Naval base in Helensburgh, Scotland, but initially thought it was a Labrador. 
After taking some pictures the shocked officer discovered that the creature — similar to a black panther — was the size and shape of a big cat. 
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...h-Scotland-by-MoD-official-Chris-Swallow.html


So the guys knows what a dog looks like as hes a handler and from the picture i know from having pets dogs all my life it isnt a Mutt.


Why wont people except it or are they afraid?


----------



## slippery42

7109 said:


> So the guys knows what a dog looks like as hes a handler and from the picture i know from having pets dogs all my life it isnt a Mutt.


Would this be the same *type* of police officer who knows sweet F All about dogs and leaves his in a car to die?

Hardly a good example.

I dont think people are afraid of the possibility that wild cats may exist its just that the "proof" is often a sh*t photo or even poorer video


----------



## fallen angel

Well that took a while to read but was worth it. All I can say is I am a believer. I have 2 friends who have seen a big black cat up close (and in the same town). One walking under a train bridge to find it asleep on grass verge the other side and when police went to look the indent of it was clearly visable in the grass and the male police officer refused to go into the wooded area and investigate! Second friend was walking her dog in a field at the back of the housing estate she lives on and it walked past her but further down the field if that makes sense? She wishes she had got a pic but quite rightly kinda shat herself a little incase it atacked her! Or her dog!

I also have another friend who while taking a walk through some woods with her children saw a deer leg hanging and rotting in a tree typical I believe of certain big cats? I also believe that with great ease they could be breeding and yes maybe with some of the off spring being inbred but surely not all? Also we keep going back to the DWA and rightly so for some of them but don't forget the people who still manage to smuggle all sorts of illegal stuff into our country and lets face it money talks! Also I think it very plausable that people will have released big cats prior to the DWA as when small they are cuddly and sweet yet a bit bigger they are strong and not so well behaved. It wouldn't be the first time a keeper of an animal decided they had had enough and dumped it would it now! That sadly still happens today with animals all across the country! I also believe like has been said before that people must have released breeding pairs. I also believe that the males will have been and still are able to travel many many miles and follow the scent of females after all that is what they do so why is it so hard to imagine? 

I would love to see one with my own eyes and be lucky enough to have a camera to take a picture or video of it and it not be grainy or shaky here's keeping my fingers crossed.

On the subject of wild boar I have heard that wild boar are in the surrounding area of where I live but have not seen any although my nephew has found a skull of what looks to be a boar with teeth and everything still in the jaw. I can tell it is pig of some sort but wouldn't know the difference between pot bellied or wild boar esp in skull form! Interestingly though the skull was found near where my friend saw the big cat whilst walking her dog? She did report it by the way to the big cat society and I believe they confirmed it as puma.

So here's watching this thread for some more info and hopefully some more proof. Loving the plaster casts by the way!

Fallen angel.


----------



## Steveokernow

I live in West Cornwall and for sure there have been so many sightings down here is pretty hard to ignore.
About 15 years ago I was walking my dog and am 95% sure that we saw a panther, but it was about 100m away so hard to be sure. My dog lay flat on the floor, hair raised and quietly whined as we both watched it swagger across the fields. I know the difference between a dog and cat even at that distance, but I remained dubious for years.
Last summer a friend found a half eaten sheep in the field behind his house, I will have to try and get a copy of the picture and post it up, it quite clearly shows how the ribs have been licked clean. Im pretty sure its only cats that do this. A dog would have torn it to shreds and chewed the bones, not licked them clean.
Having done a little research, it would appear that David Bowie owned a house on the edge of town during the late 60s early 70s. Rumour has it that he had cats at the house around the time the laws changed and many people think they were released onto the penwith moor. 
It's entirely possible, the uk isnt that built up, wherever you are you can be in the countryside within half an hour and there are millions of rabbits and sheep about.
And yeah Ramsays sheep........blatant cat attack.


----------



## stuart89

There is a panther around the south wales area, There are footprints from it in margam park which is a protected area with lots of reindeer. Ive seen one of the foot prints in real life but not seen the actual cat.


----------



## gazza9inarow

When did DWA come in pressuming there was wild pumas, cougars , panthers , leopards or whatever else would they still be alive now , as the man said its highly doubtfull they would have bread ..i think its possible but highly unlikely .The video footage is mostly taken froma fair bit away ,the one recently in scotland ( gods country) is of a cat walking on rail tracks , i have walked on rail tracks they are not that wide , could a big cat walk so easily as the vid showed on tracks.I believe its folkelore tails as nothing we have seen is substansial .. The scottish wildlife camera man , dont know his name but he filmed the mountain leopards in the himalayas , anayway he did say that he would endevour to film these beasts if at all there where any , so if anyone can he can .. .. The debate remains truely open .. Great topic though ..


----------



## slippery42

So if its in "The Sun" it must be true?

A quality paper that one!


----------



## gazza9inarow

can you put that pm on multi please for all to see to save me typing it again ... cheers


----------



## Joe1507

Ive seen a few, I was out on a school trip a month or so ago in woods where loads have been sighted and one roared at us my mate also got some pics of it...

there have been numerous captures of them but their put down to "escapees from zoos"

also I watched a documentry with alot of footage of them someone even got the hair from them and sent it off for analysis it came back as a black leopard...


----------



## Dexter

Joe1507 said:


> Ive seen a few, I was out on a school trip a month or so ago in woods where loads have been sighted and one roared at us my mate also got some pics of it...
> 
> there have been numerous captures of them but their put down to "escapees from zoos"
> 
> also I watched a documentry with alot of footage of them someone even got the hair from them and sent it off for analysis it came back as a black leopard...


I believe 100% in all you're saying, and would have no reasons to doubt that big cats might exist in wild.

However I'd be happy to see footage of these great animals.

If they are so common and easy to spot (as many have suggested here) it beggars belief why we never see any footage or pictures about.

And then we have to satisfy ourselves with a copper trying to get 5 minutes of fame by shooting a bad quality movie of a dog walking by a rail track.


----------



## MattHN

I've seen a big black cat of some kind where i used to live in baschurch, shropshire. it was in the back field behind our house and me and a friend were gonna walk around the forest at the back of the field behind my house and there it was as plain as day definately bigger than a dog but i only saw it at a distance but you could make out the shape of it was definately a cat but me being only young (7-8) and my friend being 10 we ran back and bolted the doors because it saw us and looked in our direction. There was usually carfs in the next field down and on the other side we kept our ponies so it made sense and there was always carves disappering and our chickens and sometimes you'd get the bodies of carves left or a leg bone. it all fits if you believe it .


----------



## slippery42

Dexter said:


> I believe 100% in all you're saying, and would have no reasons to doubt that big cats might exist in wild.
> 
> However I'd be happy to see footage of these great animals.
> 
> If they are so common and easy to spot (as many have suggested here) it beggars belief why we never see any footage or pictures about.
> 
> And then we have to satisfy ourselves with a copper trying to get 5 minutes of fame by shooting a bad quality movie of a dog walking by a rail track.



You have more faith in him than I do.

If his mate got piccies of the "big cat" can the poster put them up on the forum or perhaps they have sold them to a newspaper, one renowned for quality or are they the usual poor quality pussy cat/dog/bunny shots?

To clear things up I do actually believe there may be a very very small number of "larger cats" in some secluded areas, however the idea that there are loads all over the Uk and in particular the densly populated south of England is nonsence.


----------



## badboiboom

in the graveyard opposite my house i found a fox carcass, ok i see them all the time, but this one was completely ripped out from it's stomach and innards, there was a large bite mark across it's throat.. and the tooth holes were about half an inch wide!

it's throat about that was also ripped to shreds.. looks just like a large scale of what my cats do.. :/


----------



## leeh1985

I also do believe we have big cats on the loose here.
I am based in North Devon and I remember when I was out with the Army Cadets when I was a teenager we had a night experdition out in the woods and I was leading a group of us through a filed as a short cut and we all heard a grunting/snarling noise which could not have been any cows,horses etc as there was none in this field as it was used for cropping food.
We then went up a dirt path in between fields and bearing in mind that it was now dark we hear this noise again and it sounds closer, as I look behind me to make sure everyone is together we all saw glaring eyes not far behind us , the reason how we saw them was because we all had our tourches on hense seeing the glaring eyes. Now what we saw could have been anything but my belief is that it wa sa big cat of some kind but as I was younger and crapping my pants at the time I didnt stay long enough to find out what it was so we left quite sharpish.


----------



## badboiboom

can i add to my post that the carcass of the fox was cleanly torn away, as the ribs were still partly there but licked clean, most unlike a dog would have, and the inards were as i said eaten.
sorry , i missed that part


----------



## Owzy

There was a bit on 909 today about it.

The fellow they had on (Simon King) said he had spent weeks looking & found no proof.

That in itself is obviously not proof they do not exist, I just thought I would comment. : victory:


----------



## slippery42

lhreptiles said:


> I also do believe we have big cats on the loose here.
> I am based in North Devon and I remember when I was out with the Army Cadets when I was a teenager we had a night experdition out in the woods and I was leading a group of us through a filed as a short cut and we all heard a grunting/snarling noise which could not have been any cows,horses etc as there was none in this field as it was used for cropping food.
> We then went up a dirt path in between fields and bearing in mind that it was now dark we hear this noise again and it sounds closer, as I look behind me to make sure everyone is together we all saw glaring eyes not far behind us , the reason how we saw them was because we all had our tourches on hense seeing the glaring eyes. Now what we saw could have been anything but my belief is that it wa sa big cat of some kind but as I was younger and crapping my pants at the time I didnt stay long enough to find out what it was so we left quite sharpish.


another example of over active imagination!


----------



## leeh1985

slippery42 said:


> another example of over active imagination!



And what do you base that on?

I am telling the truth in what we saw so why would I need to lie? I didnt say it was a big cat but the glaring eyes is what we all saw.


----------



## slippery42

jonodrama said:


> this site seems yo have every newspaper story for years !!
> Big Cats In Britain



Aww give me a break look at some of the video on that site, might as well have been recorded on sellotape for all the good it is.

Come on you big cat sorts show something that looks credible.

Not some shit video taken by some overweight unfit copper with nothing better to do than have a laugh.

Do I sound jaded ..yep I am I'd love there to be a whole load of big cats out there, go on eat some of the numpties in the countryside.

I'll believe when we see decent video, decent high resolution image and so on...

Well lets see who post what now?


----------



## jonodrama

slippery42 said:


> I'll believe when we see decent video, decent high resolution image and so on...


 I agree I'd love some high res footage and as I said in an earlier post i'm open minded but think there would be more footage/ decent sightings given the fact that most have decent technology in there pockets.


----------



## C.Bruno

i read in a newspaper someone saw a black puma in newton stewart,scotland


----------



## SWMorelia

SW-morelia said:


> I'll post a pic in the next day or so of a paw print.... It was taken by my friend, who is big into the big cat theory..... It was in the forest of Dean, where he is trying to track them.... I don't know if it is genuine or not.... You decide when I get it up loaded...


----------



## Adam98150

Hmm, no claw marks, therefore I would have thought that it is not canine.


----------



## leggy

that looks like someone just done it by hand.


----------



## slippery42

what the other piccie of?

trees?


----------



## fraggs

leggy said:


> that looks like someone just done it by hand.


I agree :snake:


----------



## jonodrama

does look a bit mickey mouse


----------



## royal_girly

jonodrama said:


> does look a bit mickey mouse


..with the print positioned perfectly in the centre of a little clearing of earth which is just the right loose texture for a perfectly formed footprint :whistling2:


----------



## SWMorelia

The first pic is the area it was in.... The second pic I cannot comment on as I didn't take it, it was sent to me....
Either way I thought I would share it with you.....


----------



## Danbellini

Undisputable evidence!










lol at my paint skills. oooo yer.


----------



## slippery42

Danbellini said:


> Undisputable evidence!
> 
> image
> 
> lol at my paint skills. oooo yer.


Far more convincing than most of the Sh*te that come up.

Well done!


----------



## 70ridgeway

This photograph was taken in July 2007 in Derbyshire.


----------



## slippery42

Typical poor photo, could be a black moggy, could be cardboard and so on


----------



## 70ridgeway

Big cat monitors. The UK website dedicated to big cat sightings.


----------

