Black cats?

[MattyF]

I thought the same untill yesterday... But it could if easily been what Pete described!

[Paulfreebury]

I was sat with four of our local firemen in one of our fields when we saw a huge black cat walk along the opposite hedge to us, (about 100 mtrs) we sat in total disbelief watching it, I had binoculars so I got a great close up of it, once it was out of site we went looking for tracks but due to the dry ground we couldnt make them out but we did conclude that the stubble in the field was 9 inches long and there was easily another 9inch gap between the top of the stubble and it's belly, it's tail was a meter long but it's head was the size of a domestic cat.

[TRADITIONAL LOGGERS]

I was in a friends Range Rover about 10 years ago in the Peak District going along a small rural road with stone walls each side. (broad daylight)

 

A large black cat (not domestic moggy) came over the wall into the middle of the road and then vanished over the second wall. He did an emergency stop and we both looked and said what the hell was that?

 

Perhaps very stupid but we both got out and ran towards where the animal had vanished into (ideal hunting terrain) but could see nothing but some large correct prints in the soil.

 

Never told people (until now) as stunned and did not want to be mocked and these animals would be killed if people found them as often scared of something wild.

 

The single possible idea I have is some considerable time ago a rich old man had a private zoo and was going to be closed down so he released various animals into the wild.

 

There are still some wallabies from this release living in a certain area of the Peak District which causes people in the local public house to take a double view. (Some people feed them in wintertime but cannot go into details)

 

Much wildlife in Norge that most people don't see.

[Shane]

Last year in the Brecon Beacons my wife stopped suddenly and pointed into a field.

She had spotted a 'huge great beast' . All I could see was a black moggus domesticus.

MAybe I was wrong, maybe wifey was wrong. The problem seems to be that there are few reference points in the wild to enable an accurate judgement of size (the crop height mentioned above being a valid exception) - it can be easy to mis interpret what you think you see.

 

Having said that I'll probably get mauled by the South Downs Panther on Monday.

 

I guess the odd mutilated sheep carcass is the best evidence, remember the farce of the Hampshire lion last year when thepolice used helicopters and half the force to shoot a stuffed toy left in a field Tee Hee

[garth mc garth]

Saw one on the romney marsh in the early hours of the morning when we were cultivating, crossed the field and road in front of us.

Also seen the picture of a feral lynx that was shot on a farm in woodchurch.

[gibbon]

I spent a year working with wild ocelots, margays, jaguarundis and jaguars. We trapped, released and tracked cats and rehabilitated ones who had been caught when really young.The guy I worked for had been tracking radio collered cats for 7 years before he saw a wild one and he knew where to look. They could survive here without being seen, but would they would leave tracks. Id be more convinced by photographs of footprints than a quick glimse of a cats like shape. I also know from experience that your mind always exagerates the size of cats when you see them up.close.without bars.

[dexta]

i have found 2 roe deer carcasses skinned with the fur licked off just like big cats do, still dont really know if they are about as have worked on the same estate for 13 years and not seen any sightings off them day or night

[TRADITIONAL LOGGERS]

I grew up in the Jungles of Borneo (hence the interest in trees and nature) so used to see these creatures around as the local Iban tribes people did so am aware of the size differences between that and even a Norwegian Forest Cat and the Norwegian Lynx.

 

The problem with footprints is having a camera when needed and often the areas these are reported as hard ground.

[Mark Bolam]

Nah, I don't think so. Someone would have shot one in a lamp in the 20+ years they have been talked about. A few years ago a chap called Hennie Du Rand (famous for tracking down and killing man eating leopards) was brought over from SA to track one. He found nothing that made him think of one.

 

 

I think some may be about ,maybe 2 or 3, but I don't think they are a breeding population or anything like that. It also intrigues me that everyone sees black ones, black big cats are pretty bloody rare in the world - they are normally spotty!

 

That proves precisely f-all mate!

 

The one I saw was about the size of a lab, broad daylight, with a mate sat in the truck with me. Sober!

 

A few have been shot down here in Kent, like the one Garth mentioned, but I think it's usually hushed up. I doubt many people have big cats mentioned on their FAC!

[Mozza]

More and more Bengal cats are being bought these days, supposed to be domestic but they get huge, a guy in the pub bought one for his mrs and quickly got rid of it, it's ferrel nature was a nightmare to live with he said and it ripped his house to bits!