More Big Cat sightings in the UK

Big Cat spotted in Livingston

Aug 15 2013 

by Debbie Hall, 

West Lothian Courier

A panther could be stalking the streets of West Lothian after a dog walker spotted a big cat - the second such sighting in a year.

Bob Wallace, coordinator for the Scottish Big Cats group, who carry out investigations into big cat sightings from all over Scotland, said he received a report of a sighting at Appleton Parkway in Livingston last month.

Bob said the dog walker saw a large black cat, which measured two-to-three metres in length. He is now appealing to members of the public to come forward if they too have spotted the animal elsewhere.

The sighting, on July 8, comes just under a year after Kirknewton woman Helen Smith said she saw a panther near her farm - for the second time.

Bob told the Courier he believed the animal spotted last month was a melanistic leopard, better known as a black panther.

He said: “I had a report passed onto me from a man from Livingston who saw a large black cat whilst walking his three dogs in the Appleton Parkway area at 06.30am on July 8.

“He spotted the cat at a distance of 150 to 200ft from him, he said it was moving slowly heading towards Appleton Parkway and it didn’t seem to be disturbed by the fact the himself or the three dogs were there.
“He was able to observe it for around a minute or so before it disappeared into the tree line. One of his dogs made a beeline for its position with its nose to the ground, but quickly returned when he called her back.
 “He describes the animal as being totally black, one metre tall and two or three metres in length, including the tail.”

The Courier reported in September last year that Helen Smith said she had spotted a panther at her farm in April then August, before finding two of her horses with claw marks.

Anyone who has information of thinks they may have spotted a big cat can telephone Bob on 07936 719909, e-mail at wallace_robert@yahoo.co.uk or fill in the sighting report form at www.scottishbigcats.org.uk.

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Beast of Trowbridge... or Alsatian?

A couple have photographed what appears to be the fabled Beast of Trowbridge, a large black cat that has been the subject of rumoured sightings for years.

Over the years, the panther-like creature has been spotted in Trowbridge, Staverton and Westbury Leigh. Photo: HERBERT SMITH/SWNS

 

By Olivia Goldhill

16 Aug 2013

Herbert and Doreen Smith were walking in Murhill Woods, near the village of Winsley, at around 10.30am on Saturday morning when they spotted the creature.

Mr Smith, 71, said he struggled to believe the sight when he first came across the large black animal.

He told the Wiltshire Times: “Our first impression was sheer astonishment, we really could not believe our eyes at what we were seeing. The animal was eating what we believe it had just caught.

“There was a lot of rabbits about so I expect it was having breakfast. I was about 20ft away from it whilst it was eating, it looked up at me for a couple of seconds then resumed eating.

"If it wasn't for my wife tugging at my arm to get me out of there, I would of stayed observing this magnificent animal.”

Over the years, the panther-like creature has been spotted in Trowbridge, Staverton and Westbury Leigh, and was the subject of numerous sightings in 2009.

Other rumoured big cats have been spotted throughout the British countryside, including last month, when Baronet Sir Benjamin Slade spotted a large black animal in his grounds.

The large cats are usually thought to be lynxes, or black cats such as pumas and panthers.

One of the most common theories for the presence alleged “wild alien cats” is that they are the descendants of animals released from captivity when the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976 came into force, which made it illegal to keep untamed cats.

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