Adult Puma Sighted in Scotland

the black fox said:
you can believe it or not that’s your prerogative .but rest assured it happened
Click to expand...
In the absence of objective evidence, we'll have to agree to disagree. However, if you did see what you claim, the chances are close to 100%, on the current body of evidence, that it was an escape.
 
Last edited:
there you go again . its not a claim mate its actual factual .. this was well before the days of phones with cameras which I would not have been able to use anyway as both hands were full . at the time I would have been in my 50's with good eyesight . as stated the incident happened in broad daylight in clear weather .. I dont drink or take drugs or hallucinate .. or need to lie or fabricate a story for fame . i
I also think as you say that it was probably an escapee , but the chances are there is more than one or two out there .and could breed ..the farm in question is well over 1000 acres with livestock and butts up to heavily wooded wenlock edge .with a good fresh water supply a ideal environment for something like this to live
 
the black fox said:
There is most definetly a population of big cats roaming our countryside till one is captured the doubters will continue to mock .but I for one never doubt the reports
Click to expand...
A population of them? Then show me robust scientific evidence of this. Until you do, I'm afraid that there's nothing definite about it; like it or not, it remains conjecture.

No one is doubting that big cats occasionally escape into the wild, and there is robust and factual evidence to support this. What 'doubters' (for that read people with a scientific background and enquiring mind, rather than the gullible, easily persuaded or want to believe) mock are poor quality photos and video clips that do not stand up to scientific analysis and, in many cases, could be pretty much anything and, in others, are clearly a domestic cat or dog.

I've lost count of the times I've seen photos of supposed big cats that, when you look at the scenery next to the animal, it's clear that if the animal is indeed 3 or 4 feet long, the tractor tracks it's walking between must be 12 feet wide, or the hedge it's walking along must be 50 feet tall, and the trees within it 200 feet, etc. That's what 'doubters' mock, and quite rightly so. Never to doubt any report is, to be frank, naive. Never be too keen to believe anything, it's a sure way to disappointment.
 
Mr Badger said:
A population of them?
Click to expand...
A bit like the Loch ness thingy or the Alaskan Iliamna Lake wotsit.
If they exist then there must be more than one, preferably of different sexes, to have survived as long as they have.
 
Cobra said:
A bit like the Loch ness thingy or the Alaskan Iliamna Lake wotsit.
If they exist then there must be more than one, preferably of different sexes, to have survived as long as they have.
Click to expand...
Given the evidence that the big cats which have been captured or killed are all escapes and that all the alleged kills by big cats have revealed only fox or dog DNA, it's very likely that most, if not all, allegeded sightings are mistaken.
Mr Badger said:
I've lost count of the times I've seen photos of supposed big cats that, when you look at the scenery next to the animal, it's clear that if the animal is indeed 3 or 4 feet long, the tractor tracks it's walking between must be 12 feet wide,
Click to expand...
Yes.

I read a book on photoreconnaissance some years ago and the author gave several examples of where things went wrong, because the analyst fixed on a particular shape and failed to relate it correctly to surrounding objects.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
Given the evidence that the big cats which have been captured or killed are all escapes
Click to expand...
I doubt anyone refutes that, Big cats are not native, so must have been "Seeded" somehow, released ( when they became illegal in private collections) and given the fact that the Lynx died out here over a 1000 years ago, this seem the most likely source,
 
Cobra said:
A bit like the Loch ness thingy or the Alaskan Iliamna Lake wotsit.
If they exist then there must be more than one, preferably of different sexes, to have survived as long as they have.
Click to expand...
Which begs the question, what is the gene pool like? If (for example) a Puma pair was released/escaped in 1980, we'd now be on at least the 4th generation, with interbreeding being a necessity.

Unless dozens of them had been released...
 
Cobra said:
A bit like the Loch ness thingy or the Alaskan Iliamna Lake wotsit.
If they exist then there must be more than one, preferably of different sexes, to have survived as long as they have.
Click to expand...
Unless each one had been an escapee or intentional release; which is a much more likely hypothesis than a breeding population of wild big cats in the UK. That's what I was meaning when I questioned the word 'population'. It's unlikely to be a population, just the occasional isolated escapee/release that, if anything, people are seeing. If they were at all numerous and widespread (as some would have us believe) then their presence would have been clearly captured on wildlife monitoring trail cameras by now. Instead, no clear, definitive, video footage or photos exist, unless they are of a known escapee. Like it or not, this fact is telling.
 
Pound Coin said:
Which begs the question, what is the gene pool like?
Click to expand...
I would assume pretty narrow, as you said, out of necessity.

Although the claims for the Alaskan Iliamna Lake wotsit,
seem to suggest there is a "pod" whether or not they are all related remains to be seen, as do the claims, of its existence.
At a 1000+ feet deep, 22miles wide, and 100+ miles long and the suggestion of interconnecting waterways to the lakes and these "things" being sighted in other Alaskan lakes, it would be very easy to for them to hide.
I just find the whole thing curious.
 
Mr Badger said:
Instead, no clear, definitive, video footage or photos exist,
Click to expand...
But of course just like the Alaskan Iliamna Lake wotsit, there are 100's probably 1000's of miles of expanse, moor land, dense forests etc that I bet no human has ever trod.
If something wanted to stay hidden then it wouldn't really be an issue.
As to how good the survival rate would be, is clearly up for debate, had it been a singe released / escapee animal.
Had it been a pregnant female the odds are slightly better.
 
Cobra said:
But of course just like the Alaskan Iliamna Lake wotsit, there are 100's probably 1000's of miles of expanse, moor land, dense forests etc that I bet no human has ever trod.
If something wanted to stay hidden then it wouldn't really be an issue.
As to how good the survival rate would be, is clearly up for debate, had it been a singe released / escapee animal.
Had it been a pregnant female the odds are slightly better.
Click to expand...
It far more difficult to reliably indicate the absence of a species than it is to indicate its presence. However, as there is still no robust, verifiable, photographic evidence of the presence of a wild (not escapee) big cat in the UK (let alone a population of them), any suggestion that they are present remains in the realms of pure conjecture, and will do so until clear, genuine, video/photographic proof is presented. Cottingley fairies anyone?
 
Mr Badger said:
any suggestion that they are present remains in the realms of pure conjecture,
Click to expand...
Apart from the fact of my post away back. I saw large cat footprints
on remote farm land near a spinney more than once.
and before you say large dog, do a little research.

Having studied, photographed, been around (Captive) Lynx for years, I suggested it was one of these.
 
Just to point out my positions on this before I tell you a funny local story I'm on the fence completely with this having been told a few stories by people who spend a lot of time out in the countryside and who I trust implicitly who have told me they have seen big cats but until I see one for myself I never truly believe any thing. Right back to the story, I went to a wedding reception on the outskirts of Kidderminster very close to West Midlands Safari park, as we came out we noticed a massive amount of police activity it turned out that a Tiger had been spotted by multiple people. The safari park was contacted who said all there animals were accounted for. It turned out to be a tanked up man on his way home from a fancy dress party dressed as you guessed it a Tiger ! I heard a report on the local news the next day where a high ranking police officer laughingly said well at least he didn't have a road cone on his Head !

Here are a couple of stories from people I trust, I'll keep them short. First one was a game keeper friend of mine in the Black mountains of Wales. He told me various stories of animals that they had rescued just after the ban on keeping dangerous animals, Just after the ban very early on a summer morning he came across 2 people walking what he first believed were two very large dogs which he spotted at a distance, as he approached he realized that these were Pumas on chains. He spoke to the people and saw them numerous times their after. The area is supposedly one of the most uninhibited areas of the UK which is why the people had chose to move there rather than give up the cats ( No proof whether this is true or not.)

Another friend of mine who has been a serious hunter/pest controller since teenage years. He had been out on a farm in Wombourne in Staffordshire shooting Foxes he was sat against a tree in full Camo in a small area of woodland ( this was at 4.30am) and he saw movement a small distance from him he then realized it was a Lynx which walk past him fairly close. ( Again no proof).

I'm still on the fence.
 
Last edited:
Cobra said:
Apart from the fact of my post away back. I saw large cat footprints
on remote farm land near a spinney more than once.
and before you say large dog, do a little research.

Having studied, photographed, been around (Captive) Lynx for years, I suggested it was one of these.
Click to expand...
And of course, you took some photos of these that clearly showed they were clear, complete, single (not partial or overlaid) paw prints? If so, could you show them to me please? Don't get me wrong. I'm no calling you out here, but just making a valid point.

I watched (very briefly!) a programme about bigfoot sightings last night on TV. They showed supposed 'evidence' in the shape of a footprint in some mud. Now to me it looked like a bear's paw print at the front and that of a moose at the back (two prints running into each other, rather than a single one) and it had a stick sideways across the middle so I couldn't see where the join would have been. The stick appeared to be resting on the ground, but the paw print/hoof print was impressed into the mud. My first question was 'Why isn't the stick pressed into the mud, or broken'? My second question was, 'Why is that stick there'? Could it possibly have been placed there to hide the evidence of an overlap or join between two prints, or fallen there and is doing the same job by complete coincidence? What is underneath the stick? It didn't show me that! Just an alleged bigfoot print with a stick lying across it. Hmmm. Inconclusive I'm afraid!

Paw prints can often be inconclusive unless they are fresh and 'perfect', which is often not the case, with partial prints and overlaid ones confusing identification. Now I'm not saying that was the case with your sighting of prints, but without photos and a credible third-party witness to back the photos up I'm afraid it's just as anecdotal as any other anecdotal account. You may have some professional credibility on your side as to your ability to identify animal prints... but at the other extreme, you could be telling stories. Please don't be upset about me saying that, I'm not saying for a moment that you are, but without independently corroborated and robust evidence then there's no proof either way.
 
Mr Badger said:
And of course, you took some photos of these that clearly showed they were clear, complete, single (not partial or overlaid) paw prints? If so, could you show them to me please? Don't get me wrong. I'm no calling you out here, but just making a valid point.
Click to expand...
I was carrying a gun, not a camera.
I know what I and my shooting partner saw.
A clear set of perfectly formed prints.
And I am not take with flights of fancy either.
Believe what you want but I'm bored with the Spanish inquisition now.
 
Last edited:
Mr Badger said:
And of course, you took some photos of these that clearly showed they were clear, complete, single (not partial or overlaid) paw prints? If so, could you show them to me please? Don't get me wrong. I'm no calling you out here, but just making a valid point.

I watched (very briefly!) a programme about bigfoot sightings last night on TV. They showed supposed 'evidence' in the shape of a footprint in some mud. Now to me it looked like a bear's paw print at the front and that of a moose at the back (two prints running into each other, rather than a single one) and it had a stick sideways across the middle so I couldn't see where the join would have been. The stick appeared to be resting on the ground, but the paw print/hoof print was impressed into the mud. My first question was 'Why isn't the stick pressed into the mud, or broken'? My second question was, 'Why is that stick there'? Could it possibly have been placed there to hide the evidence of an overlap or join between two prints, or fallen there and is doing the same job by complete coincidence? What is underneath the stick? It didn't show me that! Just an alleged bigfoot print with a stick lying across it. Hmmm. Inconclusive I'm afraid!

Paw prints can often be inconclusive unless they are fresh and 'perfect', which is often not the case, with partial prints and overlaid ones confusing identification. Now I'm not saying that was the case with your sighting of prints, but without photos and a credible third-party witness to back the photos up I'm afraid it's just as anecdotal as any other anecdotal account. You may have some professional credibility on your side as to your ability to identify animal prints... but at the other extreme, you could be telling stories. Please don't be upset about me saying that, I'm not saying for a moment that you are, but without independently corroborated and robust evidence then there's no proof either way.
Click to expand...
And Yeti prints, mostly in snow I think, were similarly problematic :(.
 
Cobra said:
I was carrying a gun, not a camera.
I know what I and my shooting partner saw.
A clear set of perfectly formed prints.
And I am not take with flights of fancy either.
Believe what you want but I'm bored with the Spanish inquisition now.
Click to expand...
That’s good enough for me I would count you as a reliable person
 
Well it was a serious discussion until @Lez325 got involved
 
SFTPhotography said:
www.dailyrecord.co.uk

'Big cat' caught on CCTV prowling in Scots garden by frightened dog owner

A 10-second clip shared with the Record shows an animal with glowing eyes perched atop the small structure.
www.dailyrecord.co.uk www.dailyrecord.co.uk

Who here has a set up capable of photographing/videoing such a beast at night,
Click to expand...
I used to set up a couple of Trail cameras in local woodland (left from dusk until daylight). They never failed to record some animal every night (deer, fox, badger [from a nearby sett], stoat, weasel, mice. Never once did my cameras produce image quality that was anything like as bad as that shown by the Daily Record.
In the mid 70's, on a sunny Summer's evening my father and I plus Labrador had an encounter with what I believe was a Puma. We were walking in Carron Valley Forest (Stirlingshire) in a section that had once grown conifers but was then just a mess of rotten stumps etc. The "Puma" was approx. 50 metres away when it revealed itself. It was staring at us and we stopped to stare at it. After a few seconds it bounded off. The features that struck me were the long parallel tail and thick set powerful legs.
Beautiful creature and I was glad it ran away before I realised we could be in a tricky situation.
 
arclight said:
I used to set up a couple of Trail cameras in local woodland (left from dusk until daylight). They never failed to record some animal every night (deer, fox, badger [from a nearby sett], stoat, weasel, mice. Never once did my cameras produce image quality that was anything like as bad as that shown by the Daily Record.
In the mid 70's, on a sunny Summer's evening my father and I plus Labrador had an encounter with what I believe was a Puma. We were walking in Carron Valley Forest (Stirlingshire) in a section that had once grown conifers but was then just a mess of rotten stumps etc. The "Puma" was approx. 50 metres away when it revealed itself. It was staring at us and we stopped to stare at it. After a few seconds it bounded off. The features that struck me were the long parallel tail and thick set powerful legs.
Beautiful creature and I was glad it ran away before I realised we could be in a tricky situation.
Click to expand...
That Daily Record video is from a security camera so I can well believe it’s as bad as that if an old one :(.
 
As a gamekeeper orr over 25 years and spending most of that time outdoors in some inhospitable places and ungodly hours. I can say I personally have never come across any wildlife I could not identify.

Do they exist maybe they do or maybe its people's imagination

All the modern trail cameras and high spec DSRL's around. Mine included have NEVER caught an acceptable Image. I find that weird to say the least.

OK carry on

Les :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
arclight said:
I used to set up a couple of Trail cameras in local woodland (left from dusk until daylight). They never failed to record some animal every night (deer, fox, badger [from a nearby sett], stoat, weasel, mice. Never once did my cameras produce image quality that was anything like as bad as that shown by the Daily Record.
In the mid 70's, on a sunny Summer's evening my father and I plus Labrador had an encounter with what I believe was a Puma. We were walking in Carron Valley Forest (Stirlingshire) in a section that had once grown conifers but was then just a mess of rotten stumps etc. The "Puma" was approx. 50 metres away when it revealed itself. It was staring at us and we stopped to stare at it. After a few seconds it bounded off. The features that struck me were the long parallel tail and thick set powerful legs.
Beautiful creature and I was glad it ran away before I realised we could be in a tricky situation.
Click to expand...

Very close to the Blair Drummond Safari park there. Could such a beast escape?
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
They certainly have from other places, as the evidence shows.
Click to expand...

I googled this ages ago - and sightings have been mentioned in this area, and towards Loch Lomond - which again isn't far.

It's not beyond plausibility that Arclight saw a Puma here. This is a big area, and there won't be that many camera's around so the Puma can go prowling undetected.
 
SFTPhotography said:
I googled this ages ago - and sightings have been mentioned in this area, and towards Loch Lomond - which again isn't far.

It's not beyond plausibility that Arclight saw a Puma here. This is a big area, and there won't be that many camera's around so the Puma can go prowling undetected.
Click to expand...

Especially at night. Loss of sheep is usually a tell tale sign,
 
Lez325 said:
As a gamekeeper orr over 25 years and spending most of that time outdoors in some inhospitable places and ungodly hours. I can say I personally have never come across any wildlife I could not identify.

Do they exist maybe they do or maybe its people's imagination

All the modern trail around. Mine included have NEVER caught an acceptable Image. I find that weird to say the least.

OK carry on

Les :)
Click to expand...
It‘s likely you are correct but on the other hand it’s not uncommon for animals to go unnoticed even in areas where they are common. I remember seeing a fairly recent TV program about Oman where the villagers were locking their sheep up at night to protect from predators but when the TV team showed their cameras had captured leopards proving around close by at night they were flabbergasted :).

But then again sometimes local people don’t like telling outsiders what they know. I remember Ernest Neal writing that when he moved to the New Forest the locals expressed no knowledge of badgers. Well, firstly not everyone calls them that, and secondly I can think of several reasons why people would not want an outsider sniffing round their things in striped pyjamas ;). And lastly, they may have just been taking the [PLEASE DON'T TRY TO BYPASS THE SWEAR FILTER] ;).

Its also possible that @Lez325 has photographed hundreds of Pumas in his area and is keeping it to himself with a view to making a fortune when he finally releases the film :).
 
SFTPhotography said:
This is a big area, and there won't be that many camera's around so the Puma can go prowling undetected.
Click to expand...
Some people just have closed minds as to what is possible. :(

There is a local lake. I have it on good authority, there are kingfishers there.
Of all the years of walking dogs there and even fishing it, in my younger days, I've never seen one.

I can only assume that people that have sighted these allusive birds are either liars
or were hallucinating.
 
sphexx said:
It‘s likely you are correct but on the other hand it’s not uncommon for animals to go unnoticed even in areas where they are common. I remember seeing a fairly recent TV program about Oman where the villagers were locking their sheep up at night to protect from predators but when the TV team showed their cameras had captured leopards proving around close by at night they were flabbergasted :).

But then again sometimes local people don’t like telling outsiders what they know. I remember Ernest Neal writing that when he moved to the New Forest the locals expressed no knowledge of badgers. Well, firstly not everyone calls them that, and secondly I can think of several reasons why people would not want an outsider sniffing round their things in striped pyjamas ;). And lastly, they may have just been taking the [PLEASE DON'T TRY TO BYPASS THE SWEAR FILTER] ;).

Its also possible that @Lez325 has photographed hundreds of Pumas in his area and is keeping it to himself with a view to making a fortune when he finally releases the film :).
Click to expand...


Oh dear you sussed me out Richard :)

I have to say one more thing, I for many years have been on the Police call list, to dispatch any injured animal hurt in a road traffic accident or anything similar, I am a licensed firearms holder owning various calibre rifles, I have on many occasion been contacted by Devon & Cornwall - Avon & Somerset Police to carry out this task( despite them having an armed response units which have little or no knowledge of dispatching wild animals, or so I was told when I asked ) I feel confident if any such BIG CAT existed during my Gamekeeper years I would have known about it, purely from my connections with local land owners and Police

Late 1995, I was called out to Bodmin Moor on the hunt for the "Beast of Bodmin "as the press named it- nothing found no evidence of tracks or truly identifiable images just word of mouth - despite several Gamekeepers and Zoologist's being in the area for several days nothing was seen or found.

This of course does not disprove any witnesses claims - I am merely stating facts

This was in the media at that time

Theories abound as to whether the beast is a myth or reality. A small boy found a large cat skull lying on the banks of the River Fowey in the late 1990s. It was thought this was finally evidence that the Beast of Bodmin Moor actually had existed. However, the Natural History Museum confirmed that the skull did, indeed, belong to a leopard, but that the leopard had been imported into Britain as part of a leopard skin rug!

However, scientists have rejected this theory based on the grounds that the numbers needed to sustain a breeding population of big cats would be too large for the food supply.
There is, of course, the possibility that the animal is a species of wild cat thought extinct in Britain many years ago, still surviving on the moors of Cornwall. Others blame the paranormal, believing the beast to be a mythical and ghostly apparition of a creature that roamed Cornwall in the past.
Meanwhile, the Beast of Bodmin sightings continue…


And so it goes on


Les :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Lez325 said:
have on many occasion been contacted by Devon & Cornwall - Avon & Somerset Police to carry out this task( despite them having an armed response units which have little or no knowledge of dispatching wild animals, or so I was told when I asked )
Click to expand...
I think one of their problems is they have to have an inquiry every time they discharge a weapon and very likely be withdrawn from firearms until cleared :(.
 
the black fox said:
there you go again . its not a claim mate its actual factual .. this was well before the days of phones with cameras which I would not have been able to use anyway as both hands were full . at the time I would have been in my 50's with good eyesight . as stated the incident happened in broad daylight in clear weather .. I dont drink or take drugs or hallucinate .. or need to lie or fabricate a story for fame . i
I also think as you say that it was probably an escapee , but the chances are there is more than one or two out there .and could breed ..the farm in question is well over 1000 acres with livestock and butts up to heavily wooded wenlock edge .with a good fresh water supply a ideal environment for something like this to live
Click to expand...
I recall you posting about your 1990 metal-detecting experience some time ago. You've been pulled up on two of your claims,Jeff.

1. You saw a panther/puma in daylight at 30'..10m approximately. You know what a panther/puma looks like so for one I'd accept that's what you saw. You know what they say ? An angry man is a truthful man.

2. There's a population of them out there. When you say 'population' do you mean of pumas or the family tree of cats ? Lynx,Caracal

Most sightings of such creatures occur in North Wales along with Cheshire and Shropshire both bordering on North Wales although most of Shropshire borders with Mid-Wales

I found a map that shows locations of sightings and accompanying it is an interactive map. The article acknowledges that mistaken identity accounts for many.

www.rhyljournal.co.uk

New interactive map reveals where in North Wales you are most likely to see a 'big cat'

A NEW interactive map has revealed the areas in North Wales - and Cheshire and Shropshire - where you are most likely to see a big cat.
www.rhyljournal.co.uk www.rhyljournal.co.uk

Interactive map re pumas. Just click on the triangle for the account of the sighting https://pumawatch.co.uk/puma-map/

Another article that doesn't hype it but also acknowledges that people 'think' they see a wild 'cat'
www.dailypost.co.uk

The North Wales X-Files: Are big cats on the prowl in region's countryside?

Since 2011 there have been 10 official reports made to North Wales Police of sightings of large feline type creatures
www.dailypost.co.uk www.dailypost.co.uk

Hampshire https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/19467145.big-cats-still-loose-hampshire/

I wonder if any army personnel on manoeuvres/training in the Brecons have ever sighted any ?

Mentioned a couple of times in the thread. What is undeniably frustrating and gives the opportunity for those, rightly, sceptical to gain the upper hand, is that for a number of years mobile phones have produced good quality footage but we've yet to see decent quality photos or footage.

An open question...not directed at you,Jeff. Why is is it that it's the UK's worst photographers/videoists that see these creatures ? A rhetorical question,of course.
 
Last edited:
It only takes a male and female to breed ,no idea how long it takes for offspring to then reach breeding age .,these large cats which are originally from South America I believe are also normally nocturnal . I have no idea of life span either .. I don’t think they are seen wandering around in there native climes much anyway ..

At the time of my sighting even if I had a phone /camera with me I wouldn’t have been able to use it ,both hands already full ..
I,ll also say this to put it in perspective ,last Thursday I went looking for one rare bird a squaco heron , I was prepared and got photos . It has since moved slightly out of the area ,if I had gone a few hours or days later it would be easy to dismiss it as fantasy .

Your entitled to believe what you want to ,but I know what I saw and at extremely close range to .no chance of mistaken I.d .

When as wildlife photographers we go out armed with a camera and long lens we are ready to take photos , but most of the time either walking or driving my phone will be in my pocket if I do see something happen by the time it’s ready to use the moment has gone .plus 99% of the general public will have no idea how to take a decent photo or video on the spur of the moment
 
Last edited:
I enjoy the big cats subject, I listen to Rick Minter quite often who interviews people that allege seeing them. His show is worth a listen.

I think a lot of sightings are probably large cats. My old black cat was a monster, no idea how he was as long as he was but if he was spotted in your garden or a field at distance under low light you'd definitely double take.

Personally, I believe that if there are big cats out there they must be offspring from intentional releases back when the laws changed. Male leopards can mate hundreds of times in a short space of time, like over a week! Females can bare cubs from around 3yrs old and can have up to 6 in just 3 months! On a side note, there can be crossbreeding with leopards, but male hybrids are usually infertile.

I've got permission to install trail cams on a big conservation site that's not open to the public in order to survey red deer. According to one of the deer stalkers they had spotted a black leopard not long back so would be interesting to see if anything gets picked up on my cams, though I doubt it. I'm gonna spend a few hours or so up there when I get my new lens in hopes of getting some badgers.... And maybe a cat! :LOL:
 
Just to reiterate, I'm on the fence about big cats in the wild. I am open minded on the subject and will remain so until I see definate proof, either way.

I have seen and heard possible big cats (as I explained earlier in the thread) and they might well be that but there could also be a perfectly ordinary and legitimate explanation, like next door's monster moggy for example.

One very brief sighting I had, whilst out with my dogs one day, was at a distance and in a remote area. What that was, I don't know and when I got to where it had been, there was no sign of anything but given the local 'stories' of such sightings, I didn't rule it out as a big, wild cat but neither did I rule it in, the thought just crossed my mind. The dogs obviously had the scent of something too.

I would say though, that even with 'normal' and resident wildlife, it's often very difficult, sometimes extremely so, to even see certain native species, let alone photograph them. It therefore follows IMO that it's not suprising, to an extent, that a wild, non native cat has yet to be photogaphed in a sense that would prove its existence in the UK. I don't think we can rule out a wild cat's existence by lack of images alone.

What does add more weight for me to the argument against a big cat's existence in the UK is the lack of a skeleton, bones, a skull etc, or even DNA from fur or droppings for example. I admit that somebody should have at least found something by now. Although, if that evidence ever existed, then it's only a matter of time before the elements destroy or dilute it, so who knows?

Again though, without that proof as well, I'll just sit up here, nice and high on my fence for now. (y)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top