New figures reveal more than a dozen reports in Gwent and South Wales Police areas since 2011
Big cat sightings around the Welsh countryside have been laid bare in
new police figures revealing officers have been alerted to 17 reports
in the past three years alone. The figure – which only covers the
Gwent and South Wales force areas – was among 102 such reports of black
panther-like creatures spotted across the UK since 2011.
But experts claim these reports of panther-like creatures are just the tip of the iceberg. Danny Bamping, responding to the data released to Wales on Sunday under the Freedom of Information Act, said: “The real figure is a lot different, if you look at the data we have collected. [Across the UK] we are into the hundreds, if not thousands of big cat sightings.” He added: “A lot of people don’t phone the police because they do not want to be ridiculed. Wales is one of the more prominent hotspots in Britain for big cats – the borders and Pembrokeshire and key places like that.”
Mr Bamping claimed there was “substantial evidence of big cats in Wales.” “The police do treat it seriously,” he said. “But sometimes they have over-reacted.” He cited “a situation in Carmarthenshire in the early 2000s where they got a helicopter and a police marksman.” “They should not be going in with guns but tranquilliser darts with the right drugs and someone from a wildlife park,” he said.
The police were “there to protect the public” and are “not vets.” “We work with the police as much as we can but it is a one way street,” Mr Bamping said.
Some of the animals could have escaped from captivity into the wild. “Some years ago a scrap dealer in part of West Wales had two big cats which he used as guard cats at his scrapyard,” Mr Bamping said. A pal kept his pets until he was “scratched” by them. “So he let them go,” Mr Bamping said.
TV wildlife expert Iolo Williams said a big cat scratch would “take half your face off.” He thought the idea of hundreds of black panthers – technically all black leopards – roaming the UK was ridiculous. “If you think there is a an estimated 1,000 black leopards that is not many,” he said. “It’s a rare beast and there are all these records of a hundred black panthers in the UK. It’s not very feasible that a tenth of the world’s population is in the UK.”
He discounted 99% of sightings. “I always have a problem when people say they have seen a black panther,” he said. “They have seen Jungle Book and think they are everywhere but they are not.”
He added: “I have seen videos of so called black panthers and proved they are just cats,” the presenter said. “Quite big cats but cats none the less. There are a few cases I would be less willing to be disparaging about because they have come from reliable sources and when you listen to what they say it makes sense. “I have never seen anything myself and I walk all over Wales day and night.”
After the Dangerous Animals Act 1976 banned keeping big cats rumours sprang up about people setting them loose. “Before that there were cases where people kept tigers in their back gardens,” Iolo said.
Gwent and South Wales Police were asked what they did when called to big cat sightings. A Gwent Police spokeswoman said: “What do you think? We attend.” The force added in a statement: “Each of the four calls reporting big cat sightings in Gwent has resulted in nothing being found.” South Wales Police did not return calls inquiring about the figures.
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But experts claim these reports of panther-like creatures are just the tip of the iceberg. Danny Bamping, responding to the data released to Wales on Sunday under the Freedom of Information Act, said: “The real figure is a lot different, if you look at the data we have collected. [Across the UK] we are into the hundreds, if not thousands of big cat sightings.” He added: “A lot of people don’t phone the police because they do not want to be ridiculed. Wales is one of the more prominent hotspots in Britain for big cats – the borders and Pembrokeshire and key places like that.”
Mr Bamping claimed there was “substantial evidence of big cats in Wales.” “The police do treat it seriously,” he said. “But sometimes they have over-reacted.” He cited “a situation in Carmarthenshire in the early 2000s where they got a helicopter and a police marksman.” “They should not be going in with guns but tranquilliser darts with the right drugs and someone from a wildlife park,” he said.
The police were “there to protect the public” and are “not vets.” “We work with the police as much as we can but it is a one way street,” Mr Bamping said.
Some of the animals could have escaped from captivity into the wild. “Some years ago a scrap dealer in part of West Wales had two big cats which he used as guard cats at his scrapyard,” Mr Bamping said. A pal kept his pets until he was “scratched” by them. “So he let them go,” Mr Bamping said.
TV wildlife expert Iolo Williams said a big cat scratch would “take half your face off.” He thought the idea of hundreds of black panthers – technically all black leopards – roaming the UK was ridiculous. “If you think there is a an estimated 1,000 black leopards that is not many,” he said. “It’s a rare beast and there are all these records of a hundred black panthers in the UK. It’s not very feasible that a tenth of the world’s population is in the UK.”
He discounted 99% of sightings. “I always have a problem when people say they have seen a black panther,” he said. “They have seen Jungle Book and think they are everywhere but they are not.”
He added: “I have seen videos of so called black panthers and proved they are just cats,” the presenter said. “Quite big cats but cats none the less. There are a few cases I would be less willing to be disparaging about because they have come from reliable sources and when you listen to what they say it makes sense. “I have never seen anything myself and I walk all over Wales day and night.”
After the Dangerous Animals Act 1976 banned keeping big cats rumours sprang up about people setting them loose. “Before that there were cases where people kept tigers in their back gardens,” Iolo said.
Gwent and South Wales Police were asked what they did when called to big cat sightings. A Gwent Police spokeswoman said: “What do you think? We attend.” The force added in a statement: “Each of the four calls reporting big cat sightings in Gwent has resulted in nothing being found.” South Wales Police did not return calls inquiring about the figures.
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