British Big Cat Crossing The Road

a reply to: Kurokage

It's very similar to what my Dad described in Scotland - doesn't have the build of a UK wildcat, could be a paticularly big/long UK domestic shorthair but hard to properly grasp scale.

Trail cams have been set up in the region where Panthera DNA was discovered and a big black cat and cub also sighted last month - locations are being kept confidential by Cumbria wildlife trust due to belief there's a small population worth conserving. link

I'm in a few remote places there over the weekend foraging for special fungi so may have to take a camera on the rare chance something is spotted - there's a lot of secret little caves and miles of wilderness full of deer, boar and other larger wildlife apart from farm animals to prey on.

originally posted by: bastion
a reply to: Kurokage

It's very similar to what my Dad described in Scotland - doesn't have the build of a UK wildcat, could be a paticularly big/long UK domestic shorthair but hard to properly grasp scale.

Trail cams have been set up in the region where Panthera DNA was discovered and a big black cat and cub also sighted last month - locations are being kept confidential by Cumbria wildlife trust due to belief there's a small population worth conserving. link

I'm in a few remote places there over the weekend foraging for special fungi so may have to take a camera on the rare chance something is spotted - there's a lot of secret little caves and miles of wilderness full of deer, boar and other larger wildlife apart from farm animals to prey on.

Thats really interesting, I hope you have fun in search for 'fungi' and maybe catch a pic of a distant big cat rather than close up!!

There's probably not much chance of the bigger kitties wandering around in greater numbers as just do the maths on numbers as a female would get at least 4 kits per time and that can be easily 3 times a year and knowing a few farmers they would be carrying a shotty and would blast anything if they thought it was a threat.

a reply to: TimBurr

I think it's a safe bet that's not the Capybara missing from a Shropshire Zoo.

a reply to: andy06shake

They've recaptured it now.

a reply to: Oldcarpy2

Thats good news.

I dont think it would have made it through the winter months.

a reply to: TimBurr
Yeah that "cat" is definitely quadrupedal, just alone from analyzing the movement

originally posted by: onestonemonkey
a reply to: TimBurr
Authorites have definitely tried to play down the reality of big cats in the UK.

The only reason I can think of that they do this is because it was government policy which led to many big cat owners releasing them into the wild when the law changed,meaning you could no longer legally own a big cat.
Its a stupid reason,but government loves stupidity so it may be true.

Anyway-if you can excuse the pun-the cat is now out of the bag,due to big cat DNA being confirmed at the sight of a sheep attack-

DNA from a black hair caught on a barbwire fence following a sheep attack has offered ‘definitive proof’ big cats are roaming the British countryside.
The strands were sent off for testing after being recovered from a farm in Gloucestershire where there had been some ‘unusual predatory’ activity.
Suspicion was raised when video footage of a large black animal was also captured only a few miles away from where the sample was taken.
And documentary-makers, who had been investigating sightings across the UK, say the test has now come back ‘positive’ and confirmed the existence of black panthers and other big cats living in the UK.

metro.co.uk...


My local area in North Wales has had a few sightings-even some in my village-with one lady who claimed to see one in her garden in the street I live on.There are pretty big woods across the street,so Its the kind of place one of these animals may be able to live and keep a low profile.

>there's a microscopic analysis
yup, issa real

originally posted by: Kurokage

originally posted by: bastion
a reply to: Kurokage

It's very similar to what my Dad described in Scotland - doesn't have the build of a UK wildcat, could be a paticularly big/long UK domestic shorthair but hard to properly grasp scale.

Trail cams have been set up in the region where Panthera DNA was discovered and a big black cat and cub also sighted last month - locations are being kept confidential by Cumbria wildlife trust due to belief there's a small population worth conserving. link

I'm in a few remote places there over the weekend foraging for special fungi so may have to take a camera on the rare chance something is spotted - there's a lot of secret little caves and miles of wilderness full of deer, boar and other larger wildlife apart from farm animals to prey on.

Thats really interesting, I hope you have fun in search for 'fungi' and maybe catch a pic of a distant big cat rather than close up!!

Loads of fungi but no big cats I'm afraid.

There was a point where we were really confused how a horse and some goats looked so small for an hounr or so before remembering it was a pygmy animal farm

In around 2014 I saw one here in Australia. Was working at a military base as I happened to be looking at a smallish dam/pond that was obscured by reeds. Then a flock of ducks scattered and behind them came this very large black cat and literally took a swipe at one of the birds before turning and disappearing back into the reeds.
This was no feral cat, it was the size of a large Panther.

I spoke to a couple Corporals about it, they had not heard about any sightings (though they are usually transferred every 12months) But one did tell me the base was built by the Brits, and the Panther was similar to a mascot for them, and there were several references to Panthers around the base including being on one of the squadrons logos. He said they may well have brought a couple of cats over during the early days of the base.