Call for 'big cat' hunt in Britain

It really amazes me how these large cats are so cunning and stealthy and manage to avoid being captured by man. Most people feel they were pets that escaped or were let go. And alot of people claim they dont exist, even though 4 sightings on average are reported each day. That public opinion in Britain is starting to swing the other way is apparent. What I can't help but wonder is how these cats survive the winters. Aren't panthers considered sub-tropical species?

The British Big Cats Society (BBCS), set up to compile evidence that such beasts live wild in the country, called for a government-run scientific study of population numbers.

Unveiling the results of its own 15-month survey which recorded more than 2000 sightings, the society concluded that there was "little doubt that big cats are roaming Britain".

"The evidence has been growing and is increasingly clear," BBCS founder Danny Bamping said.

"We are now going to approach the proper authorities to ask for their support in undertaking a properly-funded scientific study on the big cats in Britain."

For many years there have been reports that large, feral wild cats such as pumas have been living around Britain, most commonly in the temperate Devon and Cornwall regions of southwest England.

The Assocciated Press

This was on NewsRound today about Big cats are 'breeding in the UK'

Big cats like leopards, pumas and lynxes are roaming the UK countryside, and may even be breeding.
The British Big Cat Society (BBCS) says there were 2,052 sightings of the beasts in the last 15 months, compared to 438 in the whole of 2001.

The BBCS's Danny Bamping said: "It's very possible they are breeding. There certainly seems to be more out there."

The BBCS now want to government to investigate the reports and see if they can protect the cats in the wild.

BIG CATS
British Big Cats Society
Dozens of big cats on the prowl