The Mirror
A killer big cat is believed to be on the rampage in the Cotswolds after a second deer was found mutilated.
The carcass was in a field 10 miles from where the first deer had been ripped apart a fortnight ago in Woodchester Park, near Stroud.
Experts fear the animals were brought down and devoured by a powerful predator such as a puma, jaguar or leopard.
Big cat expert Frank Tunbridge, 65, said yesterday about the latest kill: “I believe it could be the same cat that attacked in Woodchester because these animals usually have a territory of 100 square miles.
"Big cats could be thriving because there are plenty of deer and winter weather creates cover for hunting.”
The second body was found by a woman walking her dog between Whiteway and Rendcomb, Glos. When she returned to take photos, the roe deer had been stripped out with just its spine left.
Experts say the first body had been ripped open and the heart, kidneys and liver were gone.
Dr Robin Allaby, of Warwick University, is studying DNA samples from this deer to see if it was killed by a panther-like cat.
He said: “I’m prepared to believe in the existence of big cats in the UK and we have a decent chance of finding out if it was there.”
Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2012/01/17/big-cat-fears-as-second-deer-is-savaged-115875-23703383/#ixzz1jxheiPuB
The carcass was in a field 10 miles from where the first deer had been ripped apart a fortnight ago in Woodchester Park, near Stroud.
Experts fear the animals were brought down and devoured by a powerful predator such as a puma, jaguar or leopard.
Big cat expert Frank Tunbridge, 65, said yesterday about the latest kill: “I believe it could be the same cat that attacked in Woodchester because these animals usually have a territory of 100 square miles.
"Big cats could be thriving because there are plenty of deer and winter weather creates cover for hunting.”
The second body was found by a woman walking her dog between Whiteway and Rendcomb, Glos. When she returned to take photos, the roe deer had been stripped out with just its spine left.
Experts say the first body had been ripped open and the heart, kidneys and liver were gone.
Dr Robin Allaby, of Warwick University, is studying DNA samples from this deer to see if it was killed by a panther-like cat.
He said: “I’m prepared to believe in the existence of big cats in the UK and we have a decent chance of finding out if it was there.”
Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2012/01/17/big-cat-fears-as-second-deer-is-savaged-115875-23703383/#ixzz1jxheiPuB
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