For those of you not from the UK, this has been a thing for quite a few years now. People claiming to have encountered a puma or leopard in Wales, Shropshire and other regions.

 I'm skeptical to be honest, not sure if this is a genuine phenomonon or not. Most of the photographs and video look like large domestic cats to me.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/big-cat-spotted-north-wales-23275787

And we have no way of knowing if the paw prints are genuine.

The theory is that when licensing and strict regulations were imposed in 1976, some owners set their big cats free. And so today, big cats populate places like the Welsh countryside, Cornwall, Exmoor, Dartmoor etc. 

 

Edited January 11, 20215 yr by martin-w

Those paw prints look like they have claw marks, which would point to a large dog as the source.

I always keep in mind the lovely specimens, like the one in this picture, taken by a trail-cam just down the street. Not to mention my semi-frequent bear, and constant deer encounters.

To paraphrase Basil Fawlty.....

"Cats are small and cuddly. Cuddle that thing, and you would never see the light of day again".

Edited January 11, 20215 yr by Christopher Low

1 hour ago, HiFlyer said:

I always keep in mind the lovely specimens, like the one in this picture, taken by a trail-cam just down the street. Not to mention my semi-frequent bear, and constant deer encounters.

 

 

Beautiful animal and much-maligned I understand in your country. People tell tales of killer cats, and as Joe Rogan calls them, "devil cats", and yet I understand  there have only been 125 attacks in the past 100 years and only 27 fatal. 

I guess its feasible that a big cat species has survived in the UK, feeding off deer or farm animals. 

This so called "big cat expert" reckons there's as many as 500. 

 

Quote

There may be 250 black leopards and 250 pumas in rural areas of the UK. Doctor Andrew Hemmings has received a multitude of reports of big cats and believes 80 percent are credible. Dr Hemmings, of the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, said he believes there are hundreds of large predatory cats in the wild.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1329020/big-cats-uk-countryside-exmoor-pumas-leopards-jaguars#:~:text=Gloucestershire%3A 'Big cat' spotted roaming about a field&text=There may be 250 black,believes 80 percent are credible.

Looking at some of the photographs in the article I linked to above, they do seem to have very long tails, so not a domestic cat. 

 

Quote

On August 9, what seemed to be a Savannah cat was observed at 4pm wandering across Coldham's Common in central Cambridge.

 

Central Cambridge! 😃

Edited January 11, 20215 yr by martin-w

Ah, the mirror - a very trusted, respectable newspaper! 🤪

meh - I’ve seen a few big paw prints like that from Burmese mountain dogs / Newfoundland’s

Just need to keep some Metallica on your phone in case one finds you.

 

6 hours ago, Christopher Low said:

Those paw prints look like they have claw marks, which would point to a large dog as the source.

Yep, or simply anything 'canine' (but for fox which typically do not leave claw marks). But we are speaking of 'typical' tracks and there are always exceptions. The rounder look of the overall impression is more cat-like but I've seen malamutes, sled dogs, etc resemble that. So who knows? A clearer, closer photo of the heel pad might reveal more.

It's a chupacabra! 😆

Look like some sort of canine print to me, not seen a cat print with claws like that.

Have you seen the photos with very long tail? 

Cheetahs don't have retractable claws,

Cheetahs are semi-retractable. Presumably for a good grip when running. 

Thank you Martin. Appreciated.

3 hours ago, Ron Attwood said:

Cheetahs don't have retractable claws,

This is a good point. They are also fast enough to make any attempts at photographing them look like a blurry mess!

https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/19001810.witnesses-recall-big-cat-encounters-llangollen-penley/

 

Yet more big cat reports from Wales. Witnesses seem convinced. 

In 2012 a lady was 10 metres away and estimated the size to be bigger than a labrador dog.

Edited January 14, 20215 yr by martin-w