Big Cat Roundup 2008-01

Reports of sightings received by BCIB over the last week.

England

Devon
Stoke Gabriel area -- security lights around barns on the farm are being set off by a large animal, possibly a big cat.

Gloucestershire
Forest of Dean -- recently a cyclist following a Forest cycle trail came across the sheep carcass that he thought might have been a big cat kill.
Read more at This Is Gloucestershire.

Horsley area -- 3 January 2008. A couple walking down a small Cotswold lane were amazed to come upon a large black cat, 4-5 feet in length, intently watching something in a hedgerow. They watched for about 15 minutes as the cat sat looking into the hedge. Sadly, they had no camera!

BCIB have recent reports of two more sightings of very large black cats in this area.

Leicestershire
Leicester -- 3 January 2008, 1:30 p.m. A BCIB researcher, waiting at traffic lights, saw from her car a large black cat lying down in shrubs beneath an electricity pylon.

"I looked straight into the cat's eyes. It was absolutely beautiful, its coat was a glossy black colour, its eyes were a yellowish greenish colour. It was the size of my German Shepherd dog, and it was very healthy and quite at home. I am 100% certain of what I saw -- it was a panther."

Uppingham area -- 18 December 2007 and 4 January 2008. Two sheep killed overnight exhibit characteristics of big cat kills.

Lincolnshire
Stamford area -- 5 January 2008. On his way to work, a van driver turned a corner and saw a large black cat by a fence post. In the headlights its eyes had "a magnificent orange glow".

Northamptonshire
Northampton -- 6 January 2008, 4 p.m. Two witnesses driving down a slip road onto a busy dual carriageway observed what they judged to be a very large black feral cat actually crossing the pedestrian walkway over the dual carriageway.

Oxfordshire
Banbury area -- 10 January 2008. Farmers in the area have reported sheep kills, and suspect big cats.

Shropshire
Telford -- 1 January 2008, 3:20 p.m. A couple out walking noticed a large (5-6 feet long) black cat climbing up an embankment in a nearby field. They watched it for a few seconds until it noticed them and disappeared into the undergrowth.

Yorkshire
Drax area -- 30 December 2007. A deer carcass discovered by a walker exhibited characteristics of a big cat kill. There have been a number of reports of big cat sightings in the Drax area.

Northallerton area -- 9 January 2008. A van driver saw a large black leopard-type cat with two smaller ones cross the road and move into forest.
Scotland

Sutherland
Bonar Bridge -- 1 January 2008, 1 p.m. A local couple observed a large black cat moving around 200 m from the window of their house. They judged it to be around 3.5 feet long plus its tail.

Wales

Clywd
Mold area -- 5 January 2008. Two men were out in woodland, when the younger saw a big black cat with white spot at the end of its tail. The cat was sitting on a track, but run into bushes immediately saw them.