Big cats are out there: Fresh sightings in Gloucestershire

By Gloucestershire Echo  |  Posted: December 28, 2013

Frank Tunbridge, big cat hunter

RUMOURS a big panther-like creature could be lurking on the outskirts of Cheltenham have been given renewed credence by new eye-witness accounts. Following two sightings of a large black cat near the town earlier this month, more people have come forward to say they have seen what looked like a similar animal. As yet, video shot on cameras set up to catch the mystery prowler has proved inconclusive, but Gloucestershire-based expert Frank Tunbridge is in no doubt something is out there.

Echo reader Gwen Harris was startled when she spotted what she thought was a puma in the Cotswolds.
"I would advise all the sceptics to keep an open mind," she said. "Only last week my husband and I were travelling in our car on the back lanes between Aldsworth and Northleach, and 25 yards in front of us a dark animal dashed across the road. We couldn't believe our eyes. It wasn't a dog and it certainly wasn't a deer. It was large and the head was the more square shape of a puma type animal. Its movement was a long loping stride with powerful legs and a long tail. After that sighting I have to say we do believe in these big cats and no longer doubt other people's experiences."

Fellow Echo reader Nigel Woodcock wrote, who lives near Prestbury Road in Cheltenham, also warned readers not to take big cat sightings lightly – recalling an incident four years ago which left him flabbergasted.
"I can assure readers that this beast is no figment of the imagination," he said. "A beast loped across our garden and then leapt over a six foot high fence. My wife and I and our son all saw the creature which was about eight feet away from where we were standing. It had a jet black shiny glossy coat with heavy haunches and was probably slightly larger than a fully- grown Labrador, but a much fuller, more powerful build."

The accounts have fuelled speculation a big cat may be hiding out in woodland on the edge of town.
There have already been sightings in Staverton and in Swindon Village, where parish councillor Helen Wells has set up a camera in her garden to try to catch footage of the beast.

The 44-year-old vowed to remain on Big Cat Watch over the festive period.

Expert cat spotter Frank Tunbridge said big cats were more likely to be spotted at this time of year.
He said: "It's no coincidence we see them more during the winter because they come down the hills to hunt for prey."

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