British big cats

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British big cats (sometimes referred to as alien big cats (ABCs), phantom cats or mystery cats) are large predatory cats roaming the countryside of the British Isles. For many years their existence has been debated and many scientists have dismissed them as fake. However, more and more evidence suggests that they do exist and are growing in number. To this day they are thought as part of British wildlife by some and Cryptozoology to others.

They are often referred to as "panthers," "pumas" or "black cats."

Contents

History and origins

Many stories have arisen over the years regarding how the cats got to live wild in the United Kingdom countryside. Some are more credible than others, and some receive much more publicity than others. Here are a few of them:

Survivors from the prehistoric past

This story is incredibly unlikely, but it has been mentioned:

The leopard became extinct in Great Britain at the end of the last Ice Age, around 12,000 years ago.

The Eurasian lynx was originally thought to have become extinct in the UK before the Romans arrived, but some bones in Scotland have recently been dated as from around AD 180. This means that small numbers hung on in remnants of the Caledonian Forest for longer than previously thought.

The wild cat became extinct in England and Wales in the 19th Century, but still exists in Scotland in relics of the Caledonian Forest. However, wild cats are unlikely to be confused with big cats in any case.

A species unknown to science

This story could only be possible if the cats were feral offspring of domestic cats and either wild cat or a small exotic cat such as a jungle cat or caracal. The Kellas Cat of Scotland is an example of this. It has been suggested that the cats are hybrids of pumas and leopards. These animals have been produced, and are known as a pumapard, but they are prone to dwarfism. No pumapards survived to breed. Although female hybrid big cats are fertile, males are sterile and a breeding population would be next to impossible.

Escaped or released animals that have gone feral

The cats could have escaped from travelling circuses in the Victorian era.

The cats could have been released by people who attempted to create a population for hunting or some other purpose in Victorian times, when many animals were released into the countryside. This was legal until the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. There is an argument to reintroduce the Eurasian lynx to Scotland.

The cats could have escaped during the 1960s and 1970s when it was easy to keep dangerous animals without breaking the law of the time.

They could have been released after the Dangerous Animals Act 1976[link] came into force. Many owners did not want to have their animals put down or taken away, so they released them in remote locations where they established feral populations. This is probably the most likely explanation, and is the most often heard. The British Big Cat Society has evidence of at least 23 releases of big cats in Britain.

Supernatural or imaginary creatures

Some people believe that they are supernatural creatures that haunt remote areas, or are in some way associated with the "Devil Dogs" or Barghests (such as the Black Shuck) of other areas of England. Some people also believe that they are ghosts of big cats that died in the area.

Some people beleive they are ghosts of cats that died in the area during the past.

Some people beleive that the cats may be from another dimension and have entered ours through "wormholes".

It is perfectly possible that some sightings are from people who have imagined seeing big cats. However neither of these two suggestions explain how photographic and physical evidence has occurred. Unless it too was fabricated.

First sightings

The first sightings of big cats in Britain were in the 1960s, and since then they have been gradually increasing over the past 30 years to the present.

Evidence

As much evidence that has been put forward over the years, very little has actually proven the existence of the cats. Many of the pictures that are taken are either taken from such a distance it is impossible to make out "the beast" or the picture is of poor quality. Unfortunately also, a few people have attempted to fake evidence, and handed the fake pictures to the press.

Captures, road kills, shootings and skeletal remains

"Felicity the puma" was captured by farmer Ted Noble at Cannich, Inverness-shire, Scotland in 1980. Her capture followed a string of sightings from the area, and they continued after her capture. She lived out her days as a tourist attraction at the Highland Wildlife Park, Kinguisse. There remains some controversy over whether she had ever been "wild" for any period of time. After her death she was stuffed and mounted and is now on display in the Inverness Museum, Inverness, Highland.

In July 2005 a farmer in North Devon discovered a skull belonging to a large cat, and has since been identified as that of a puma. It is currently being examined. It follows many reports of cats in the area (Beast of Exmoor), and even a report of a farmer shooting and later burying a puma.

A Eurasian lynx was shot in summer 1991 near Norwich, Norfolk. It had killed around 15 sheep within two weeks. The story was only reported in 2003, and the lynx is apparently owned by taxidermy collector in Suffolk. For many years the cat was considered to have been a hoax, particularly by the hunting community. But in March 2006 a police report confirmed that the case was true. It was a probably escapee from a facility in the area that bred animals including Eurasian lynxes.

A clouded leopard, a rare cat species of southeast Asia, escaped in Kent in 1975. She was shot nine months after and had fed on rabbits and lambs in the meantime.

A jungle cat (presumably killed by a vehicle collision) was found at the side of the road near Ludlow, Shropshire, in 1989. It was rumored that the cat mated with farm cats in the area and produced offspring. One cat called "Jasper" had all the characteristics of a hybrid.

A leopard cat was shot by Stuart Skinner on the Isle of Wight after mistaking it for a fox taking his poultry. However it was not reported immediately due to their fact that he thought he had shot a protected species.

A Eurasian lynx was captured in Golders Green, Greater London in 2001 after a witness reported "a leopard sat on her garden wall". The Lynx was captured and later taken to London Zoo.

Another caracal was shot by a RUC marksman in Fintona, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland in 1996.

A puma was shot in 1987 by police officers near to the Greenwich Observatory, Greater London.

Another jungle cat was killed as it crossed the road at Hayling Island, Hampshire in 1988.

Also in 1988 a leopard cat was shot and killed by a farmer at Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Dartmoor, Devon.

In May 1980, a dead lioness was found in a lake near a disused railway quarry in St Helens, Lancashire. However, this story may be false due to allegations that the animal had been deliberately drowned.

In the late 1970s, a puma was caught near the Civic Centre in Barnstaple, Devon.

Video and photographic evidence

Many photographs have been taken of "cats" over the years, and countless have been proved as fakes or simply forgotten. In recent years evidence has also come from CCTV cameras.

The legendary "Fen Tiger" was filmed by Mr. William Rooker in Cambridgeshire in 1994. The video lasts for around 2 minutes, and it remains the best video footage to date. The video probably shows a black panther stalking a field.

A photograph of a large black cat was taken on the Kent marshes in 1998. The animal in the photo is definitely feline, very dark brown in colour, but not a black leopard. It is difficult to judge the size of the cat in the photo, and some have said that it shows a jungle cat.

Two pieces of video footage, one from Cornwall in 1999 and one from the Isle of Wight in 2001 clearly show large black cats. This can be proven by objects to scale in the video.

A probable puma was caught by CCTV cameras at a car park in Hertfordshire in August 2005.

A probable black panther was recorded on a CCTV camera in a working brickyard near Telford, Shropshire in the summer of 1999.

A photo of a large, black cat at Bexley, Kent was taken in February 2006. Sightings had been reported there since 2003.

On more than one occasion, police helicopters have tracked what are thought to be big cats on infra red surveillance cameras. However, many of these animals are soon lost amongst dense woodland.

A Eurasian Lynx

Livestock kills

Many accounts of famous animals stem from livestock kills, mostly to sheep. The Beast of Exmoor and the Beast of Bodmin are examples. In recent years, cows, sheep and even horses have been attacked.

Between April 2004 and July 2005 there were five reported attacks on horses and 37 incidents regarding sheep kills.

Deer kills are also noted, and have been recorded on Roe deer in Somerset and Shropshire. A deer carcass was found stashed in a tree in Somerset in 2004.

Livestock kills have been noted in many counties, but they are centred in Devon.

In January 2004 a farmer with pastures in Stoke St Michael near Shepton Mallet, Somerset, reported that he had lost four ewes to predatory animal attacks but what was more surprising was a fatal attack on a six-month-old Aberdeen Angus calf that weighed more than twice the weight of an average adult human. The bodies of the animals had large puncture marks around their throats and heads and in some, their stomachs had also been eaten. He described how these attacks had affected the behaviour of his remaining livestock, with animals that were fairly friendly before becoming nervous and almost aggressive after the incident.

Sightings

It is impossible to establish how many people have seen big cats in this country, as many probably go unreported. Between April 2004 and July 2005, the British Big Cat Society received 2,123 reports of big cats. However, almost a third of these can be discounted.

Upon seeing a big cat, it must be reported immediately to the British Big Cat Society to help with vital research and so an idea can be drawn up of how many cats are in the regions of the UK. Sightings can be reported via the [BBCS website].

At present the only counties of England where no sightings have been reported are County Durham, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.

The "top ten" counties or regions of Great Britain between April 2004 and July 2005 were:

County Devon Yorks Scotland Wales Gloucs Sussex Cornwall Kent Somerset Leics
Number of Sightings 132 127 125 123 104 103 99 92 91 89

County	Devon	Yorks	Scotland	Wales	Gloucs	Sussex	Cornwall	Kent	Somerset	Leics
Number of Sightings	132	127	125	123	104	103	99	92	91	89

The numbers of sightings by region between January 2003 and March 2004:

Region The Midlands South East (includes London) Scotland Wales South West East Anglia The North Northern Ireland
Number of Sightings 368 329 226 102 430 246 288 62

Region	The Midlands	South East (includes London)	Scotland	Wales	South West	East Anglia	The North	Northern Ireland
Number of Sightings	368	329	226	102	430	246	288	62

Paw prints

Many paw prints have been photographed over the years - some have even been taken as a plaster cast. However, some people have found tracks thinking they are of big cats to find they are of other animals, such as dogs, foxes, badgers, and in one case even rabbits.

In March 2006, Warwickshire Museum put a cast of a huge paw print on display. The cast was taken by a farmer from Barford in November 2004 and donated to the museum. The farm's gamekeeper had watched what he believed to be a large black Leopard, hunt and catch a pheasant and noticed the fresh print in the mud. The print can still be viewed at Warwickshire Museum, England.

Golfers using a course near Bewdley, near Kidderminster in Worcestershire have grown used to finding large paw marks in the bunkers. They claim that the marks appear every two or three weeks and have been a regular occurrence for several years.

Large paw prints were found near to Huddersfield in 2005, which prompted the local paper 'The Examiner' to offer a £500 reward for photographic images of the animal that made them. The cash is still yet to be claimed.

February 2006 saw Police claim that they had found the first conclusive proof a Scottish big cat that had been dubbed the "Beast of Balbirnie" after sightings of it in Fife. Officers took a plaster cast of a paw print which was later verified by experts as that of an 18-month-old exotic large cat, most likely the print of a black leopard's paw. After several sightings at once on the Balbirnie Estate near Glenrothes the police investigated and discovered the print. Experts could not be species-specific due to a lack of specific clarity in the heel pad but believed that judging by the size of the print, the animal was around 18 months old.

Hair samples

As with paw prints, many hair samples have proved to be from other animals, but between April 2004 and August 2005 six samples were found across the country and are currently being analyzed.

In the 1990s, puma hairs were positively identified on Exmoor.

Tree damage

Cats often sharpen their nails on wooden objects, and trees thought to have been damaged by big cats were discovered in Britain in Gloucestershire in 2001, Yorkshire in 2002 and Kent in 2003.

The cats

Black panthers are the melanistic form of leopards and jaguars. They are large black cats with long tails. They are the most commonly reported species of cat. "Black pumas" do not exist in this country. Potential prey for them includes Roe deer, red deer, sheep, rabbits, pheasants and chickens.

Lynx were once native to Great Britain. They are relatively small (compared to other large cats), brown and spotted in color and have a very short tail. They have been reported from East Anglia, Kent, Wales and the Scottish Borders. Their diet includes Roe deer, rabbits, rodents and gamebirds.

Pumas are large, brown cats. They are very adaptable and could easily survive in the UK. Reports have mainly come from the South West (Devon, Somerset and Cornwall), the West Midlands and Surrey. Their potential prey includes red deer, Roe deer, sheep, rabbits, gamebirds and rodents.

Caracal are lynx-sized cats. They originate in Africa, and are identified by their light brown coat and very pointed ears. They are very agile cats and can climb trees and jump high enough to snatch birds out of the air. They are capable of taking small deer, sheep and gamebirds. They are only occasionally reported.

Jungle cats are medium sized grey-brown cats with a short tail. They are only capable of taking rodents, rabbits and amphibians. Seven jungle cats have been found dead in the UK.

Wild cats are native to Britain, and are still present in Scotland. They prey on rabbits, hares, rodents and birds.

Kellas cats are a hybrid species that have been recorded in the Scottish Highlands. They may be an unclassified species.

Other Cats: Species that have been noted only occasionally include the leopard cat, which are the size of domestic cats but with leopard-like spots, a clouded leopard, a specialized species from the tropics which was captured after living wild in Kent in 1975, and there are even extraordinary cases of lions being reported in Devon and Somerset [link].

A melanistic jaguar, sometimes called a black panther

Fakes and hoaxes

Many fakes have been exposed over the years, and although most are obvious, some can go on for some time before being proven.

Skulls

Three hoax skulls have been found in the UK, all in Devon and Cornwall. They were found on Dartmoor, Bodmin Moor and Exmoor. They were all sent to the Natural History Museum, where they were all found to have been mounted on hunting trophies or rugs. However, in July 2005 another skull was found in North Devon. This skull is thought to have come from a puma, though it still has to be examined professionally.

Photos

Many photos have proved to be fake. Famous fakes have included a cuddly toy in Wales, and a cardboard cut out on Bodmin Moor [link].

Confusion

One problem regarding sightings of big cats is the fact that people "see what they want to see" - for example people living on Exmoor may glance an animal, not fully focus on it, and "think" that they have seen "one of those big cats". Also a surprising amount of people have actually confused domestic cats with the "real thing". Also, animals such as dogs, badgers and foxes should be dismissed before reporting a sighting.

When the Beast of Exmoor story first came about, many people thought it may have been a dog. This may have been the case to a certain extent, as dogs are perfectly capable of killing sheep and do so on a regular basis. Generally dogs will harass the whole flock of sheep, whilst cats will single out a sheep and kill it with injuries to the neck. Cats will also generally eat most of the carcass whilst dogs will kill for the sake of it. Cats may drag the body to a special "hiding place" or even store it in a tree. Feral dogs and dogs used for poaching make this more confused, and sheep that die naturally may be scavenged by foxes, buzzards and other animals to make it look as though the sheep has been killed by a predator.

Naming the cats

It has become common for the press or media to "name" any cats after the immediate area to the sighting, for example the Beast of Exmoor or the Beast of Bodmin. Sometimes they are named by the area where they are sighted followed by the species, e.g. the Surrey Puma or the Wrangaton Lion.

"The Beast of" is the commonest name given followed by the location.

Famous cats

Beast of Exmoor, Devon and Somerset, 1970s - Present [link]
Beast of Bodmin, Cornwall, 1992 - Present [link]
"Felicity" the Puma, Inverness-shire, 1980 [link]
Surrey Puma, Surrey and Hampshire, 1959 - 1970 [link]
Fen Tiger, Cambridgeshire, 1950s - 1990s [link]
Clouded Leopard, Kent, 1975
Wrangaton Lion, Devon, 1998 - 1999 [link]
Beast of Riber, Derbyshire 1970s - Present

Could Exmoor be home to a population of big cats?

Attacks

To date, very few people have been attacked, and none of the attacks were fatal, nor were they proved in any way. This is a serious matter that will have to be taken into consideration if the population of cats increases.

The "most likely" attack to date is the story of how during January 2002 a man from Gravesend, Kent, had his hand scratched by a Eurasian lynx after approaching it in order to rescue a pet rabbit from its jaws. His original thought was that the animal was a fox, but as he got nearer he found it to be a lynx. The victim suffered a single paw swipe to the back of the hand.

Government involvement

To date, Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) have not confirmed any big cats in Britain. On the confirmation that a lynx was killed in Norfolk in 1991, a Defra spokesperson said: "Most sightings turn out not to have been cats but something like a large dog." Defra have not denied that there are big cats out there, and say that they have "found no evidence of any big cats breeding in the UK". Defra has published a list of cats that they know have definetly escaped, although most of them have been recapteured (See [link])

Summary

At the present time there are almost certainly large cats at large in the British countryside. There are probably black panther, puma and lynx individuals as well as a few other exotic cats at large. There have even been 17 reports of cats with cubs in the UK, and if the cats are descendants of animals released in the 1960s, then they must be sustaining themselves in a feral population. As they increase, sightings are increasing and cats are starting to be seen on the edges of towns and cities, and already, at Bluewater Shopping Centre, a gigantic complex in Greenhithe, Dartford, London, a number of visitors have been surprised (and somewhat shocked) to see big cats roaming around the complex in broad daylight [link]. The cats in the UK need to be studied more to find out the facts about the populations and distribution.

External links

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