Beast of Stroud big cat suspected of killing three wallabies

The Mirror
26/01/2012
Three wallabies have been found mauled to death just weeks after a puma-like creature is believed to have killed three deer.
The mutilated bodies were found in the same area where it is thought a big cat – dubbed the Beast of Stroud – savaged three roe deer.
Wildlife expert Frank Tunbridge, 65, said yesterday: “No creature other than a big cat could bring down and kill these wallabies.

 

“The field was surrounded by a 7ft fence and there was no apparent entry sign. It must have leapt over it.”

The animals, part of a private collection, were kept in a farmer’s field in the ­Cotswolds, just 12 miles from where the first deer’s body was found in Stroud, Glos.
Warwick University experts are studying DNA samples from its carcass


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Beast of Bleadney 'puma' seen by rally driver

The Wells Journal
Saturday, January 21, 2012

Is the Beast of Bleadney back?
Last year there were numerous reported sightings of a big cat roaming the hills and levels around Bleadney and Henton, just outside Wells.
Now one of the clearest sightings yet has been made by a rally driving team on the levels between Bleadney and Godney.
Rally driver Colin Knott of Congresbury was taking part in a navigational exercise on Thursday night with his wife Jan as a co-driver.
As they drove down Leaze Drove on the way to Godney and rounded a bend they were stunned by the sight of a big cat 50 yards distant.
Colin said: "It looked to us like it was a puma.
"It was about the size of a labrador or an alsatian, sandy coloured and most definitely a cat.
"The way that it ran gave it away, using its tail to maintain its balance."
"We both saw it perfectly clearly in the headlights. It ran along the edge of the rhyne and then vanished into the ditch."
Colin and Jan's navigational skills allowed them to record the exact location of the sighting.
On Friday the Wells Journal visited the scene – and found what could be crucial evidence of the cat's existence.
A row of at least a dozen clear paw prints in the mud ran along the edge of the narrow country road.
Danny Bamping from the British Big Cats Society said that he could not say for certain that the images were those of a big cat's paw print, but he did not rule it out.
"There is a fifty-fifty chance that these are big cat prints," he said.
But he added they could also be from a dog – they have characteristics of both dog and cat prints, so they are hard to identify.
The large pad to the rear of the print indicates a cat's paw.
Dog paws feature an indentation which gives the print a U-shape.
But cats rarely run with their claws out, unless they are leaping – and this print clearly shows the presence of a single claw.
"Dog prints are often mistaken for cat prints," he said. "But I simply can't be sure with this one."
Mr Bamping said he would pass the picture on to fellow big cat experts for their opinion. Other reports of a big cat on the Somerset Levels have emerged over the past few weeks, with sightings at Meare and at Pilton – see page 16.
Have you seen evidence of a big cat around Wells? Did you walk a large dog along Leaze Drove at the end of last week? Call 01749 832335.

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Reporter on the prowl for big cats in Gloucestershire

Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Citizen

CITIZEN Chief Reporter Ben Falconer went on the hunt for evidence of big cats at a secret location in Gloucestershire with expert Frank Tunbridge:
I HAVE passed this secret big cat hot spot in the west of Gloucestershire several thousand times but a sighting has always eluded me.
Then again, I've never looked for one.
But the witnesses who have contacted tracker Frank Tunbridge weren't expecting to see a big cat slink through the undergrowth either.
That's why we are in a copse checking batteries and memory cards in Frank's trip cameras.
They are lashed to trees and posts along possible big cat thoroughfares, to try and catch its movements – and very existence – on video.
So far, the cameras sited across Gloucestershire have captured deer, dogs, wild boar, and even the odd reveller on the way home from the pub. And the cameras, like those used in BBC TV's Lost Land of the Tiger, may even have caught the moment a big cat wandered by.
"It's difficult to say categorically, but we have had a few where movement has been detected and then it whites out because they're too near," said Frank, who has seen what he believed to be a big cat four times in the British countryside. Several sightings around this spot prompted Frank to set up the cameras here but there are other ways of detecting its presence.
"I can smell where a cat has been before," says Frank, as he inhales a good noseful of the bark which may have been urinated on by the elusive mog.
Tracking
"If it's fresh, then you can pick it up – it smells like a domestic cat, iodine-like, but more powerful. They can also leave droppings around the tree."
Frank sometimes collects these, boils them down, and sieves them for evidence of what it's been eating. It's a good job he's got a strong stomach and a wife who presumably tolerates such behaviour. Trained in tracking by an ex-special forces member, he's alert to changes in the countryside most of us would never notice.
He points out footprints of dogs, deer, stoats and badgers while we are there. Sadly, no big cat prints however.
After servicing the cameras, Frank wipes a fetid-smelling dog meat roll over the tree, right in the middle of the camera shot. Its smell is pretty awful but it could be enough to tempt a big cat into the frame.
He's been fascinated by these creatures ever since his dad struck up a friendship with a Regent's Park Zoo keeper who sneaked young Frank in, free-of-charge, before opening time.
Then the Surrey puma captured his imagination in the 1960s and he's been on the trail of big cats ever since.
He fears big cats could be persecuted, mainly due to ill-informed public fear, if the DNA tests prove positive.
"These cats have been out there for many years," he said. "There has not been one attack in the UK. They are existing on an ample supply of wildlife including deer, and they are doing the environment a favour by keeping their population in check."

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Three wallabies found savaged to death by big cat after mystery predator stalking the Cotswolds strikes again

• Trio found stripped to the bone with internal organs neatly placed beside their bodies
• Experts believe the Wildcat of Woodchester is behind the attack following deaths of three deer this month
• Mutilated wallabies found 12 miles from where big cat is first believed to have struck

Mail on Line

By Anthony Bond
Last updated at 6:31 PM on 25th January 2012

A mysterious blood-thirsty wild cat is feared to have struck again after three wallabies were found devoured on farmland.
The trio were found stripped to the bone, with their internal organs neatly placed beside their bodies.
Examinations revealed they had suffered puncture wounds to the neck - consistent with a vicious attack by a panther-like creature.

Devoured: The remains of one of the wallabies which is believed to have been killed by the Wildcat of Woodchester, which is feared to have killed three deer earlier this month
Experts now believe the animals were devoured by the Wildcat of Woodchester which is already believed to have killed three times this month.
The mutilated bodies of three deer have been found in the past few weeks in countryside near Stroud, Gloucestershire - just 12 miles from where the wallabies were mauled to death.
The wallabies were found only 12 miles apart leading to the belief that it was the same cat
Samples of DNA from the predator's first deer kill on January 4 are currently being tested to confirm whether or not a big cat is behind the killings.
The results are expected to be revealed over the next few days.
But big cat expert Frank Tunbridge is in no doubt over who killed the wallabies and the deer.
Mr Tunbridge, 65, said: 'There could be no creature other than a big cat that could bring down and kill these wallabies.
'The field was surrounded by a 7ft fence and there was no apparent entry signs - so the predator must have leapt over it.
'The killer struck over two nights. The first night he killed two wallabies, stripped one of the carcasses down and hid the other under a pile of leaves and straw.
'Then he came back and killed a third - devouring his further kills. A fourth wallaby appears to have died from a heart attack.
'The wallabies are only about 12 miles from Woodchester so it appears that this could be the same big cat.
'They have all the hallmarks of a panther or puma kill.'
The wallabies, part of a private collection, were found by their devastated owner on January 6 - two days after the apparent first kill by the Wildcat of Woodchester.
The Gloucestershire farmer did not want to divulge his name or location.

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Farmers Weekly Launches Big Cat Hunt

http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/25/01/2012/131158/Farmers-Weekly-launches-big-cat-hunt.htm

25th January 2012

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'Big cat has eaten

The Sun
By JOHN COLES

Published: 25 Jan 2012

A MYSTERY "big cat" stalking the Cotswolds is now thought to have devoured three WALLABIES.
A farmer found the mauled marsupials on private land 12 miles from Woodchester Park in Stroud, Gloucs, where the creature is thought to have first struck.
All three were stripped to the bone with their internal organs left beside their bodies.
They all had puncture wounds to the neck — consistent with an attack by a panther-like creature.
DNA results from two savaged deer carcasses found in the same area earlier this month are expected to reveal next week whether a big cat is on the loose.
Big cat expert Frank Tunbridge, 65, said: "There could be no creature other than a big cat that could bring down and kill these wallabies.
"The field was surrounded by a 7ft fence and there were signs of entry so the predator must have leapt over it.
"The killer struck over two nights. The first night he killed two wallabies, stripped one of the carcasses down and hid the other under a pile of leaves and straw.
"Then he came back and killed a third — devouring his further kills. A fourth wallaby appears to have died from a heart attack.
"The wallabies are only about 12 miles from Woodchester so it appears that this could be the same big cat.
"They have all the hallmarks of a panther or puma kill."
The wallabies, part of a private collection, were found by their devastated owner on January 6, two days after the first deer kill was discovered at the National Trust-owned Woodchester Park.
The deer had been torn open and was missing its heart, kidneys and liver.
Its snout was also gone and big cats clamp their jaws over the mouth, causing death by suffocation.
Another deer carcass was found by a dog walker between Whiteway and Redcomb, near Cirencester — ten miles away — on January 10.
A third roe deer body was found at a development in Cooper's Edge, near Gloucester, days later.
Dr Robin Allaby, an expert in evolutionary genetics at Warwick University's School of Life Sciences, is studying samples of DNA taken from the first two deer carcasses.
He said: "I'm prepared to believe in the existence of big cats in the UK and we have a reasonable chance of finding out if it was there.
"We are in the process of studying samples of DNA taken from the deer and if its death was the result of a big cat then we're hoping it left cheek cells and saliva."


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Further sightings of the Anstey panther

The Mercury
By Priya Gulraj

A MOTORIST who saw a "big black cat" running across a field believes she has seen the Anstey panther.
Hollie Walsh was driving along London Road at around 3pm last Tuesday (January 17) when she spotted the wild-cat-like creature.
She told the Mercury: “I saw a big black cat running in the far fields along London Road just past the turning for Anstey, while looking for the numerous deer spotted there regularly.
“I got home to search sightings after I thought I might be seeing things, and found [the story on your website].
“It was an incredible sight, and thanks for confirming I wasn’t seeing things.”
There have been three previous sightings of the big cat in the village, with the most recent sighting in September last year.
Prior to that there was a sighting in 1998, and a third is rumoured to have occurred in the village some 20 years ago.

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Could the Tamworth beast live at Drayton Bassett?

Tuesday, January 24, 2012
This is Tamworth

SIGHTINGS of the mystery big cat have been fairly regular – but one man contacted the Herald to say that he believes he heard the beast in Drayton Bassett.
The 40-year-old, who lives in the village, said: “I would like to share an experience I had back in December 2010.
“It was dark and early to mid-evening when I was walking my dog away from the village green, down Heathley Lane. I’d walked about 30 feet past the WI hut with some back garden fences to my left and Drayton Manor Golf Course to the left behind the chain link fence.
“It was a quiet evening with some light available once my eyes had adjusted to the dark. I heard a loud cat wailing sound for about four seconds, not a domestic cat as it was too deep and rich in tone, coming from some trees and bush approximately 25-30 feet the other side of the chain link fence. I couldn’t see anything but realised just how deathly quiet it was. Both me and the dog froze for a while, maybe a minute or two. The sound was just like the call of a wild cat.
“I was shocked, wondering what I had heard, carried on with the walk and heard no more and saw nothing but I will never forget the sound and how close it sounded.
“After seeing the comments from the keeper at Drayton Manor Zoo, I have realised that perhaps I wasn’t going mad and that what I heard that night was possibly a big cat.
“As I didn’t see anything, it’s too easy for people to ridicule, so I don’t want to give my name or address but I promise that I have not embellished anything here and have nothing to gain by making false claims
particularly so long after the event.
“I hope this helps build up a picture of whatever is out there.”


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Is this the Big Beast of Tamworth?

Tamworth Herald
Tuesday, January 24, 2012

THE LATEST tales of the big cat said to be roaming the area have prompted yet more people to come forward.
Last week we reported how the cat had been spotted in Bluebell Woods in Polesworth and several readers have noticed large prints which they think may be those of a panther-like creature – but others think are dog paw prints.
This week, a reader who wishes to remain anonymous, reveals the moment he believes he heard the mystery big cat in Drayton Bassett.
Another reader, Jason Coggins, believes he saw the big cat drinking from a pool at a fishery near Atherstone.
Jason told the Herald: “A couple of weeks before Christmas I paid a visit to a friend of mine who was fishing at the Riddings Fishery in Grendon.
“As I was walking around their specimen pool I could see something in the reeds drinking from the water of the next pool along known as the Crucian pool.
“I stood and watched what I’m 100 per cent sure was a panther, for a couple of minutes before it turned, walked across the bank and disappeared through the bushes and out of sight into the adjoining field. It was out of range of the camera on my phone, and obscured by bushes so I was unable to get a photo.
“In no way could this have been a dog of any sort, but then the same week in the Herald, there was a story of a sighting near Wood End, which is only a couple of miles away.”
Tom Everitt owns Riddings Fishery at Grendon.
He said: “I think it’s quite plausible that there could be a big cat in the area, but I have never seen anything.
“We do have a black Alsatian which drinks out of the pool – it may have been that which was seen.”

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Dog walker: I've seen a big cat in Woodchester Park

The Citizen
Monday, January 23, 2012

A PROFESSIONAL dog walker has spoken of her shock after she confronted a suspected big cat.
Sarah Johnson was in Woodchester Park when she came across the find last Monday.
"I'm pretty sure I saw something," said Sarah, who was walking her own working cocker and American cocker at the time.
"I thought it was a black Labrador at first, with it's tail up.
"It was a good 100 yards in front and I walked on but it had gone.
"It was a very brief sighting but it didn't behave like a dog in the way it walked and the way it reacted to my dogs."
Mrs Johnson, from Dursley, walks up to eight miles a day in Woodchester Park, three or four times a week.
The week before she made the sighting she met two national newspaper reporters in the woods, hunting for the black cat which is rapidly turning from myth to reality.
Another dog walker has also reported finding the savaged leg of a deer in Uplands, Stroud, last Wednesday.
Big cat tracker Frank Tunbridge was put in touch with both by The Citizen and is investigating.
"A leg was found near Uplands Park," said Mr Tunbridge.
"It was most probably a big cat – they will eat down so far, then leave it and the rest will be scavenged."
There have now been at least seven reports of either big cats or savaged suspected victim carcasses in recent weeks.
The first find to spark public interest, a carcass on National Trust land at Boundary Farm near Woodchester Park is now believed to be one of three in the area in the same week.
DNA samples were taken from the carcass by Dr Robin Allaby, associate professor at the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick. Samples were also taken from another site near Dursley where a deer was killed on New Year's Day, and a large black cat has been seen by residents in recent months.
Then, a woman walking her dog between Whiteway and Rendcomb came across the mutilated carcass of a roe deer on Tuesday, January 10.
And on Thursday, January 12 a dog walker saw a black panther-like creature near the Ram Inn, South Woodchester.
Then on Thursday, January 19, we reported on another carcass find at the new Cooper's Edge development, a housing estate in Brockworth.
Shocked workers on the development said they were sceptical about big cats until now.
It remains the most urban area to have had a report.
Mr Tunbridge, who has documented hundreds of sightings and carcass finds over decades in the county, was hopeful of getting DNA evidence from the Cooper's Edge deer carcass.
He was not surprised to hear of another sighting in the Woodchester area.
"It seems to be coming back to that zone," he said.
"They are attracted by dogs.
"Typically, they would not go for a pack of dogs but they might stalk one or two if the chance arose."

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Are big cats prowling the NW?

The Derry Journal
Thursday 26 January 2012

Published on Sunday 22 January 2012 00:34

In the coming days scientists at Warwick University will have completed tests on two deer carcasses believed to have been mauled by a big cat roaming the Gloucestershire countryside in England. But could big cats - puma, panther and lynx like creatures - be prowling much closer to home?

It may seem hard to believe to many, but six big cat sightings have been reported to police in the north west over recent years.
Details released to the ‘Journal’ by the PSNI under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that reports of big cat sightings have been recorded in Derry, Strabane and Limavady over the last decade.
In June 2007, the PSNI’s Wildlife Liaison Office was notified of a report that a tiger or puma was on the loose in the Foyle area, while in April 2009 a “fawn coloured large cat” was reportedly sighted in Strabane.
Strabane, it seems is the big cat capital of the north west, with two further sightings in recent years.
Back in February 2005, “a very big black cat” was also sighted in the area, while a “large black cat” was also spotted in there in 2004.
Across the north west, and in December of the same year, police received reports of a puma prowling in the Limavady area.
In June of 2004 “ a large black cat” was also spotted near the Co Derry town.
Since 2004, police in the north have received reports of more than 50 suspected sightings, including “a large black cat” and a “sandy mountain lion” in the Cookstown area, a “black panther “ in Armagh, and a “large cat the size of a great Dane/female lion” in the Ballymena area.
Sightings of big cats have been reported across the border too.
In 2008, the discovery of paw prints and a dead sheep in the fields around Manorcunningham in Donegal gave rise to fears a big cat was on the loose.
Chris Johnston, an English based big cat researcher of more than 20 years experience, yesterday told the ‘Journal’ that while many people will be dubious about the existence of big cats on these shores, there is evidence to suggest otherwise.
“There is evidence that big cats have been and our today roaming the countryside, but it is how we define and interpret this eviden
“Anyone who researches sightings of big cats will come across the evidence, it may be not be visually seeing the animal itself, but finding signs and clues it leaves behind.
“These may be deer kills or attacks on livestock, scats, scrapes and scratch marks, these signs are invaluable to a researcher and do prove the existence of big cats living around us. But to many other people, and understandably so, this evidence is just not enough.”
He says that attitude may change if the DNA testing at Warwick University proves conclusive.
The expert says the most common sightings are likely to be “leopards, puma and lynx that have been released.”
“Many of the sightings reported to myself over the years do fit the description of a black leopard.
“The leopard is one of the most adaptable creatures, and its survival in many different environments is a testimony to this. If our big cats are surviving from one generation to the next then they have adapted to the countryside with great success, and this does appear to be the case.”
He says anyone who thinks they have witnessed a sighting should contact their local police.
Could big cats be on the prowl in the north west? What do you think? Let us know your views at derryjournal.com
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BIG CAT WHO FANCIED A HAM SANDWICH

Sunday January 22,2012

By Jon Coates

The Express

FOR A hungry panther in search of a delicious snack, where better to go than the village of Ham.

Residents living in the rural community were shocked to see a large black cat prowling the area in recent weeks.

It has now been blamed for the disappearance of three rare breed piglets from a farm in Ham, which is appropriately near Sandwich in Kent.

The creature appears to have a discerning palate. The free range Berkshire piglets are renowned for their ­flavour. A stable girl, who does not want to be named, said she was tending horses when the animals started to go “berserk”.

She then spotted the panther with a swollen belly in a neighbouring field.

She said: “The body was 4ft long and the tail was just as long. It looked quite fat, with its belly almost touching the ground and it had really chunky legs.” Kent Police confirmed they were investigating a reported sighting of a large black cat in the area on January 5 at about 1pm. It is the latest in a string of sightings reported to police and panther experts over the past year of a large black cat prowling Sandwich and the surrounding area.

Neil Arnold, of Kent Big Cat Research, said: “I had reported sightings around this area a couple of weeks prior to these piglets going missing. A woman had seen a black panther-like cat crossing the same road next to this farm.

“Sightings have also been made of a large black animal in a nearby field.”

The organisation received 189 sightings of big cats last year, of which 57 per cent related to panthers, 28 per cent to pumas, 11 per cent to lynx and four per cent to jungle cats.

A 5ft long black cat was seen on the prowl in marshes near Leysdown on the Isle of Sheppey, off the north Kent coast, last month. The area is popular with film crews – a new version of Dickens’ Great Expectations starring Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter was filmed in the area just weeks before the big cat sighting. A version of The Sweeney starring Ray Winstone and Hayley Atwell was also filmed there. In recent weeks a panther has been linked to two attacks on deer in the Cotswolds.

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The secret world of big cats in Britain

Bucks Free Pres

11:00am Saturday 21st January 2012 in

• By Simon Farr »

THE carcass of a deer mauled on National Trust property in Gloucestershire sparked a media frenzy last week, as rumours spread of a big cat attack.
Experts carried out DNA tests on the body this week to finally try and prove if the deer was savaged by a big cat in Woodchester Park.
Thousands of big cat sightings are reported every year - with some right on our doorstep, with persistent rumours of the ‘Beast of Bucks’ stalking the Buckinghamshire countryside.
Expert Rick Minter is hoping the results of those DNA tests and his new book Big Cats, Facing Britain’s Wild Predators will turn around the sceptics.
He said: “It will be very interesting to see the results of the DNA test.
“My book explores all of the issues which surround Big Cats in the UK. It looks at all the evidence from sightings and also the human emotion, how people feel about the possibility of a big cat living in their area.
“And that aspect is surprising because most people are excited, of course some can be frightened if a sighting is particularly close to their home, but the consistent feeling is one of intrigue and that’s what the book looks at.”
The 50-year-old environment consultant’s interest in big cats stems from a sighting in Cumbria. He said: “It was a black panther, I didn’t really do much about it but I was asked to help out at a few workshops and went from there.
“I’ve also seen a cougar in Gloucestershire and then what we call a jungle cat with a group of other people. We had heard it during the night and then got a clear sighting of it.”
And what about the Beast of Bucks - is it real? Mr Minter said: “The people who monitor Bucks and Berkshire get reports of sightings quite regularly. And I’ve also heard of sightings in Marlow.”
Big Cats by Rick Minter is £18.99 and available from www.whittlespublishing.com.
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Beast of Bleadney 'puma' seen by rally driver

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Wells Journal

Is the Beast of Bleadney back?
Last year there were numerous reported sightings of a big cat roaming the hills and levels around Bleadney and Henton, just outside Wells.
Now one of the clearest sightings yet has been made by a rally driving team on the levels between Bleadney and Godney.
Rally driver Colin Knott of Congresbury was taking part in a navigational exercise on Thursday night with his wife Jan as a co-driver.
As they drove down Leaze Drove on the way to Godney and rounded a bend they were stunned by the sight of a big cat 50 yards distant.
Colin said: "It looked to us like it was a puma.
"It was about the size of a labrador or an alsatian, sandy coloured and most definitely a cat.
"The way that it ran gave it away, using its tail to maintain its balance."
"We both saw it perfectly clearly in the headlights. It ran along the edge of the rhyne and then vanished into the ditch."
Colin and Jan's navigational skills allowed them to record the exact location of the sighting.
On Friday the Wells Journal visited the scene – and found what could be crucial evidence of the cat's existence.
A row of at least a dozen clear paw prints in the mud ran along the edge of the narrow country road.
Danny Bamping from the British Big Cats Society said that he could not say for certain that the images were those of a big cat's paw print, but he did not rule it out.
"There is a fifty-fifty chance that these are big cat prints," he said.
But he added they could also be from a dog – they have characteristics of both dog and cat prints, so they are hard to identify.
The large pad to the rear of the print indicates a cat's paw.
Dog paws feature an indentation which gives the print a U-shape.
But cats rarely run with their claws out, unless they are leaping – and this print clearly shows the presence of a single claw.
"Dog prints are often mistaken for cat prints," he said. "But I simply can't be sure with this one."
Mr Bamping said he would pass the picture on to fellow big cat experts for their opinion. Other reports of a big cat on the Somerset Levels have emerged over the past few weeks, with sightings at Meare and at Pilton – see page 16.
Have you seen evidence of a big cat around Wells? Did you walk a large dog along Leaze Drove at the end of last week? Call 01749 832335.

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Deer carcass sparks big cat inquiry

Leighton Bzzard Observer
Published on Wednesday 11 January 2012 23:11

A big cat could be on the loose in Gloucestershire, experts fear.

Dog walkers stumbled across the mutilated carcass of a roe deer on National Trust land near Stroud last week.
The injuries to the neck of the deer and the way the carcass had been consumed are thought to be highly indicative of big cat activity. Experts have taken DNA samples from the remains of the deer to see whether a big cat, such as a puma or panther, could have killed it.
Big cat expert Rick Minter, who has visited the site of the find at the trust's Woodchester Park, said: "It is very helpful to have this forensic study of the deer carcass.
"Local people who watched the carcass being examined appreciated that this was being studied in a responsible manner and that they are to be kept closely informed about the matter through their local newsletter and a forthcoming meeting."

Mr Minter added: "Although people occasionally report a possible big cat from a distance, close up encounters with such cats are rare. Their hearing and movement are exceptional, which helps them avoid close contact with people.
"In the event of a close-up encounter, you should stay calm and face towards the animal as you back off, but not threaten or aggravate it. The chances are it will have backed off very quickly first."
David Armstrong, the National Trust's head ranger for Gloucestershire, said: "There are some very occasional sightings of big cats in the Cotswolds but they have wide territories, so are rarely present in one particular spot for long. We'd be interested to hear of any more sightings at Woodchester."
Dr Robin Allaby, associate professor at the school of life sciences at the University of Warwick, visited to take DNA samples. These are now being tested with the results due by the end of the month.

For centuries there have been thousands of reported sightings of large felines on moorland and in woods and fields across the UK. The animals - normally black or brown - have been seen in almost every county in Britain, from Cornwall to the tip of Scotland.
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